Ottawa flooded after Canada Day storm dumps record rainfall, hundreds without power
Torrential rain overwhelmed the city Wednesday, swamping basements and leaving residents without electricity as cleanup begins across the west end.
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Hundreds of Ottawa residents spent Thursday morning without power and waiting for flooded basements to be emptied after Wednesday's torrential storms left the west end underwater.
On McEwen Avenue, a low-lying street near the Ottawa River, sewers backed up and sewer covers popped, submerging cars. Two 24-storey apartment buildings at the bottom of the street—including Park West at 30 McEwen Ave.—had flooded basements that disabled their main electrical vaults. Residents were told to expect days without power and air conditioning as a heat wave continued, with Environment Canada maintaining an orange-level heat warning and a high of 35 C.
Similar flooding hit 30 McEwen Ave. more than 30 years ago in 1992, when a backed-up storm sewer flooded the basement and forced about 400 residents to leave for several days.
At Cornerstone Housing for Women's emergency shelter in the west end, floodwater seeped through the building Wednesday afternoon, damaging the kitchen dining area and creating a pool of water at the bottom of the stairs. Staff confined residents to their rooms as cleanup crews worked, and the shelter temporarily lost power and elevator service. One resident with mobility challenges had to sleep on a basement cot because she could not access her unit. The organization had to throw out mattresses soaked by the floodwater and replace files and personal protective equipment damaged in the surge.
The storm also damaged an outdoor garden and gathering area. "As an emergency shelter, we're prepared for emergencies with residents, but not always for environmental emergencies," said Amber Bramer, Cornerstone's director of development and communications.
