Toronto reels from floods and power cuts after severe storms

BBC:

Record rainfall from three huge storms has flooded parts of Toronto, cut power and left drivers stranded on the major motorway through the city.

Environment Canada reported that almost 100mm (4in) of rain fell on Toronto on Tuesday, surpassing the city’s daily record set in 1941.

Images and videos showed severe flooding across the city, cars nearly submerged, and water cascading down the staircases at Union Station.

The pop star Drake posted a video on Instagram which appears to show part of his Toronto home, “The Embassy”, submerged. “Better be espresso martini,” he wrote as the video showed sludgy brown water fill a room.

The storm left more than 167,000 customers without power, according to Toronto Hydro.

Several flights were also delayed or cancelled out of Billy Bishop Airport, on the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario.

The Don Valley Parkway, a major motorway that runs adjacent to the Don river, was blocked in both directions by flooding. Ontario Highway 410 was also closed, with police anticipating that it will not open up for another day as crews clean up.

Authorities said they have rescued at least 14 people, including one person who had to be plucked from their car’s roof.

Toronto’s fire service received numerous calls from people trapped in lifts, after large areas of city centre lost power during working hours.