Written By Jan Sims
MIDDLESEX CENTRE - Middlesex Centre was among the communities hit with flooding after massive rainstorms moved into the area Monday July 15th.
“The localized flooding in the northern portion of the municipality was probably the worst in recent memory however the larger system flooding (Thames River) did not exceed regular spring flood events.,” says Director of Public Works Rob Casdaden.
The municipal response plan included monitoring roads and facilities, and closing roads where needed. ‘What made this more difficult than many other significant rainfall events is that the high intensity resulted in flash flooding. Even though a road may have been patrolled and deemed clear, it may have flooded within the next half hour or hour,” says Cascaden. “The use of the new Municipal 511 system for road closure notifications worked very well,” adds Cascaden.
Like elsewhere in the region, there were people who had to cope with flooded basements. “The vast majority of reported flooded basement reports appear to be the result of private sump pumps that were not able to keep up with the incoming flow of groundwater, which increased drastically due to the intensity of the rainfall event on already saturated ground,” says Cascaden.
To help those impacted by the storm, the municipality extended the hours of its Enviro Depot and waived fees to dispose of flood-related waste until July 20th. The municipality is also suggesting that residents contact the Public Works and Engineering department if they experienced basement flooding. “This will help us have a more complete picture of the impact and areas of the municipality most heavily affected,” says Cascaden.
Works department staff have also been collecting reports from members of the public and other data to review how the intense rainfall affected local infrastructure. “We will use this information to identify higher risk areas for asset management and potential infrastructure improvements in the future,” says Cascaden.
