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Power restoration continues Friday after severe thunderstorms tore through the Greater Toronto Area earlier this week, but thousands of Torontonians are still in the dark.
Violent thunderstorms and high winds ripped out trees, tore down power lines and flooded major streets as more than 100 millimetres of rain fell in some areas Wednesday.
Less than 2,500 customers were without power as of Friday morning, Toronto Hydro said in an email to CBC News. Spokesperson Daniella Zuluaga said crews have been working “around the clock” on restoring power.
Around the peak of the storm, power was down for about 65,000 homes and businesses.
Roads have reopened after several roads, including parts of the Don Valley Parkway, were closed due to flooding on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the city’s storm response website. But power outages may still be affecting traffic signals, the city says.
City manager Paul Johnson called the weather system a “100-year storm” that caused widespread destruction in Toronto and the surrounding areas in a news conference Thursday.
Toronto fire officials reported just shy of 1,500 calls over a 24-hour period, which they said was their second-highest call volume in one day, after the 2013 ice storm.
Among the most damaged structures was the 50,000-capacity Rogers Stadium in Toronto’s north end, where bleachers were ripped out by high winds which also left behind partially collapsed grandstands. No injuries were reported and Live Nation is assessing the extent of the damage, the company said in a statement on Thursday.
WATCH | 2 workers escape scaffolding moving in the wind during Wednesday’s storm:
Video shows 2 workers escaping moving scaffold during thunderstorm
Dramatic video captures two workers escaping a moving scaffold on a building in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood during Wednesday’s storm
The Northern Tornadoes Project says the damage in Toronto appears to have been caused by downbursts (a strong downward wind system).
During cleanup efforts on Wednesday, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow thanked crews and first responders.
“The storm has passed, and I want to assure the people of Toronto we were prepared,” she said. “We will keep working until every road is cleared and every resident has power back.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said municipalities affected by the storm can turn to the province for aid.
“We stand ready to help wherever is needed,” he wrote in a social media post Thursday.