The Latest
- The Greater Toronto Area has been cleaning up a day after a heavy thunderstorm damaged buildings, closed roads and knocked out power.
- Toronto Fire Services responded to "just shy of" 1,500 calls in a 24-hour period, the second-highest volume in the department's history, fire Chief Jim Jessop said Thursday morning.
- Toronto Hydro says about 6,000 customers remain without power in the city, down from a peak of 65,000. run by the province's Crown-owned power supplier, Hydro One, shows more than 20,000 customers outside Toronto without power as of noon ET.
- Several major roads remained closed by early afternoon, including the Gardiner Expressway and Bayview Avenue. The Don Valley Parkway has reopened.
- The storm caused "significant damage" at Rogers Stadium in North York.
- In Vaughan, Huntington Road is closed indefinitely because of a large sinkhole.
One of the casualties of Wednesday's storm was a massive, beloved weeping willow tree on Givins Street, just west of Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto. People have been posting their memories of the tree online.
Francis Marrani lives four doors down from where the tree fell. He was out on his porch talking to his neighbour when it came down.
"It was a shock to see the whole thing had completely fallen with the rootball completely off the ground," he said Thursday, as crews were working to remove the tree; its remains are still blocking the street.
Paula Bowley was less lucky. The tree fell on her car, which is still trapped underneath. She thinks it has major damage, but all she can see is the front of her car and its licence plate.
"I first went out and saw that the beautiful willow tree that we all love was down and [I] was upset about that," she told me, as she watched crews trying to free her car.
The tree meant a lot to her. When I pointed out her car may be a casualty of it, she told me, "I'm willing to deal with that."
-
The GTA is cleaning up after Wednesday’s powerful thunderstorm, which brought torrential rain, damaging winds and large hail. Here's a quick recap of where things are at in the aftermath nearly 24 hours later.
- Toronto Hydro says about 6,000 customers remain without power, down from a peak of 65,000. Crews continue to deal with downed lines and trees damaging electrical infrastructure. In the rest of the province, there are a little over 20,000 homes and businesses still without electricity.
- The Don Valley Parkway has reopened, but parts of the Gardiner Expressway and Bayview Avenue remain closed as crews continue cleanup.
- Rogers Stadium in North York sustained "significant damage" during the storm. No one was injured, and officials say they are assessing the extent of the damage.
- Toronto Fire Services said it responded to just shy of 1,500 calls in 24 hours — the second-highest volume in the department's history. Firefighters rescued people trapped on scaffolding, in elevators, in floodwaters and inside partially collapsed buildings.
- Toronto's parks and recreation facilities are gradually returning to normal. CampTO programs are operating, but some drop-in programs, park washrooms, outdoor pools and wading pools remain affected by flooding.
- The CNE is open today after closing early Wednesday evening.
- GO Transit continues to see some service disruptions, including significant delays on the Kitchener line. TTC subway service is running, though some bus routes remain diverted.
- In Vaughan, Ont., north of Toronto, Huntington Road is closed indefinitely after a large sinkhole opened following the storm.
- City officials say Toronto received between 11 and 110 millimetres of rain, with parts of the city getting 100 to 110 millimetres. City manager Paul Johnson described it as a "100-year storm."