Ontario town declares state of emergency as heavy rain floods roads

The Township of Southwold has declared a state of emergency after heavy rainfall caused flooding and forced multiple road closures in southwestern Ontario.

The township, located south of London, declared the emergency Friday morning, saying public safety is its top priority as crews respond to flooding across the municipality.

In a news alert, officials urged residents not to drive through flooded roads and said public works crews are monitoring conditions as water continues to recede.

Several roads remain closed, including sections of Burwell Road, McDiarmid Line, Oneida Road, Mill Road, Scotch Line, Hunter Line and Union Road. The intersection of Sixth Line and Lawrence Line is also flooded.

Repairs will begin Saturday morning, with crews deployed starting at 6 a.m., the township said.

Emergency remediation work is underway on Thomas Road and in Fingal, while full restorations are expected to take up to two weeks.

Residents affected by basement flooding are being asked to place damaged items at the roadside for collection. The township said details on pickup will be released Monday.

Environment Canada has also issued a special weather statement across much of southwestern Ontario, warning that some areas have already received between 50 and 100 mm of rain and could see additional rainfall before the system moves out later Friday.

Southwold is at least the third Ontario municipality to declare a state of emergency because of flooding in the past week.

–with files from The Canadian Press