Red Cross put on flood alert

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Red Cross put on flood alert; Heavy rain forecast, areas washed out
Topic Started: Apr 2 2008, 10:38 PM (37 Views)
SpookyTheCat	Apr 2 2008, 10:38 PM Post #1
~Shortstop had me at Hi..~ Posts: 10,713 Group: Admin Member #245 Joined: May 2, 2004	Red Cross put on alert with heavy rain forecast, areas washed out By JOE BELANGER, SUN MEDIA Flood waters will continue to recede today in London and area, but the region is bracing for possibly more trouble with heavy rain in the forecast tomorrow. The Red Cross has been put on standby in case the situation worsens, although local officials downplayed the news. Pockets of flooding across London along the Thames River caused problems for a few landowners and businesses yesterday. That’s because the Upper Thames Conservation Authority opened flood gates at Fanshawe Dam to release water and build capacity to hold back Friday’s anticipated rainfall. “We don’t want to be caught without capacity, but once we get a better handle on the projected rainfall, we’ll be able to drop the flows (to ease flooding in low-lying areas of the city),” said Mark Helsten, water resources engineer with the authority. And police reissued a warning for residents across the region to stay away from fast-flowing waterways and slippery banks. Weather forecasters are still uncertain whether tomorrow’s rain will be as severe as first projected. The arrival of cold, dry weather overnight has helped ease the flood pressure, but several areas of London remain washed out. Police have reissued a warning for residents across the region to stay away from fast-flowing waterways, slippery banks and ice-covered ponds and creeks. And flood-control officials are keeping an eye on weather forecasts, which still have more rain arriving tomorrow and Friday. The Thames River is flowing over Windermere Road at Adelaide Street, the University of Western Ontario’s low-lying parking areas and several city parks today. The levels began to peak last night and show begin to level off later this afternoon, said Mark Helsten of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. “The one thing that happened that was good was this cold weather overnight that helped the flows drop off,” said Helsten. “The south branch in London is nearing its peak, but it probably has a little rising to do. The river is still going to be high for a couple of days.” Fanshawe Dam is still far from reaching capacity and continues to hold back the water from yesterday’s 13C temperatures that caused a quick snowmelt, not to mention rain. About 800 cubic metres of water per second is flowing into the Fanshawe reservoir with 500 or less cubic metres per second being released, said Helsten. The reservoir is about 6.5 metres above normal and can hold upwards of nine metres over normal in the event of a major rain storm. Helsten said the outflows from the Fanshawe Reservoir have to be kept high to ensure there’s enough capacity to handle unexpected rainfall. “We don’t want to be caught with capacity, but once we get a better handle on the projected rainfall, we’ll be able to drop the flows (to ease flooding in low-lying areas),” said Helsten. “I expect we’ll start cutting the flows this afternoon.” At UWO, the Medway and Talbot lots were flooded overnight, stranding some cars while others were towed to lots on higher ground. Students and staff were advised to stay away from flooded areas, including a foot bridge at Westminster College. Rivers and creeks across Southern Ontario spilled their banks, causing minor flooding in many areas, especially the London region. In Woodstock yesterday, firefighters plucked eight people from homes in the Braemar Valley Trailer park after the Mud Creek overflowed its banks. The water in some places was thigh high. Meanwhile, several roads across the district were closed when creeks and rivers filled and overflowed their banks. With the ground saturated from the wet winter, rainfall isn’t being absorbed and instead is running off into waterways. Helsten said weather forecasters are still calling for about 30 millimetres of rain Thursday and Friday.



shortstop	Apr 3 2008, 11:43 AM Post #2
Spooky's Wife Posts: 11,668 Group: Mods Member #284 Joined: June 23, 2004	Be careful!!



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