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Peterborough Floods - July 15, 2004
Following torrential rains early on July 15, a flood swamped Peterborough's downtown. Elements of the large weather system could be traced back to the storm that flooded Edmonton five days earlier. That storm worked its way slowly across the continent and locked in just east of Peterborough on July 14. Energized by cool air from the north and re-supplied by cargoes of moisture from the south, the storm unleashed an intense thunderstorm that continued for several hours.
Not surprising, official rainfall amounts were quite variable ranging from 100 mm at the airport to 240 mm at Trent University. Much of the rain fell in less than five hours in the early morning, forcing many residents out of bed and into the street. Bucket surveys using exposed plastic pails, garbage cans and other previously empty vessels revealed rainfall totals exceeding 235 mm in many neighbourhoods - more than a summer's worth of rain. And it didn't stop! Rain fell for the next five days. Observers at the Trent University weather station recorded a whopping 409 mm of rain in July, smashing the total precipitation for any month of the year.
The volume of water proved too much for Peterborough's drains and sewers, some of them built a century ago. However, few cities in North America could have handled the phenomenal 14 billion litres of water that splashed on Peterborough in under five hours. That's enough water to flow over Niagara Falls in about 40 minutes or to fill almost nine SkyDomes. It was one of the wettest days ever in Canada east of the Rocky Mountains and likely the wettest day ever in Ontario, estimated to be a one-in-200-year event. At the height of the Peterborough storm, water in the city's wastewater system was five times the average capacity. With backed up storm sewers, much of the downtown core and a third of the city proper became a virtual waterworld under a metre or more of murky water. The Mayor declared a state of emergency that stayed in effect for 15 days. Hundreds of residents fled to shelters when roofs collapsed or water filled basements to waist-deep. Muddy waters turned streets into rivers, closed businesses and left cars floating. Power and telephone outages lasted for days and the clean up took weeks to months. Some roadways and sidewalks had to be completely rebuilt.
An early estimate of insured losses exceeded $88 million. In addition, the Province of Ontario provided $25 million for emergency repair and restoration costs for city infrastructure. Consultants recommended that Peterborough spend upwards of $30 million for possible storm water and sanitary sewer system improvements over the next five years. For those who endured personal losses such as rare books, picture albums and other family keepsakes, however, there was no way to fix a price for what was gone and could not be replaced.
Business Impact
Some businesses could not begin operations 15 days to months after the flood. The amount of damage was staggering. Some businesses didn’t re-open at all as the loss was too great. Computer systems, data and all backup data for most businesses in the flood area were destroyed. Those that had invested in offsite storage or remote backups could access their data but had no hardware to rebuild. Businesses with a continuity plan that addressed a secondary emergency site had the best chance to survive. Businesses experienced absenteeism and the loss of clients and revenues due to not being able to service demands. Their customers went elsewhere for fulfillment.
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