Regina floods after downpour of rain, but city preparing for more over weekend

Luke Basnicki woke up to the sight of his brand-new car sitting in a pool of water outside his home on Osler Street.

"Not again," he recalled thinking at the time. Basnicki has lived on Osler Street for five years; it has flooded each year.

The engine and battery were completely flooded when he checked on the vehicle, he said.

"[I] decided, 'Alright, we're gonna get ready for work,'" he said. "[I] went downstairs and there was about six inches of water in my basement."

Basnicki is among the Reginans reeling after an overnight downpour.

An Environment Canada weather station near the airport measured about 13.3 millimetres of rain between 8 p.m. CST Thursday and midnight.

An additional 34.5 millimetres to 43.4 millimetres, depending on the region, fell in the city early Friday morning, according to volunteer reports from the CoCoRahS Mapping System.

The rainfall flooded streets — including the intersection of Ring Road and Broad Street — and caused traffic delays.

But the City of Regina is bracing for more rain, as Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area and forecasts a 60-per cent chance of showers through the rest of Friday.

"The city is prepared to respond to the changing conditions," Kurtis Doney, the city's acting executive director of citizen services, told reporters during a news conference Friday afternoon.

Flooding city-wide

Many people took to social media to post about the flooding. Some commuters posted about excess amounts of water building up from the rain, while some residential streets appeared to be so flooded that recycling bins floated in the puddles.

Some residents, like Basnicki, reported flooding in their basements — particularly in the northeast.

The city advised transit riders they should expect delays, as buses have to take alternate routes due to flooding.

The city iterated to drivers to not attempt to drive through flooded areas, as the depth of water can be unpredictable. Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) also urged motorists to stop driving under flooded overpasses.

"When the city has to respond to vehicles stuck in underpasses, it has a significant impact on our emergency response team," Doney said.

"If they're working in a situation where they're dealing with a stranded vehicle, they're not responding to another emergency."

Regina Fire and Protective Services responded to four calls during the night to help people get out of their vehicles, said Deputy Fire Chief Gord Hewitt. One situation involved a woman who was uncomfortable with water, so the responding crew had to lift her out of the vehicle and carry her out of the water.

Thursday and Friday have been relatively on par with typical call volumes, Hewitt said.

The wastewater treatment plant, as well as detention ponds, have responded well to the rain, Doney said, adding that crews are working on clearing storm drains to prepare for the next storm.

The city will follow its storm emergency response plan and respond to situations as required to ensure citizens are safe, Doney said.

An SGI spokesperson told CBC News that the agency received a "fairly typical" number of calls Friday.

But Basnicki had trouble getting through to make an auto insurance claim, because he believes his vehicle is likely totalled.

"I don't know how I'm gonna get to work on Monday," said Basnicki. 

"I was supposed to work today and now I stayed home."

The city is still gathering information about the damage caused by the storm, Doney said.

He expects it will be greater than that caused by last week's tornado, because the rain at that time fell on dry clay, so the moisture could be soaked up.

The city received about 60 to 70 service requests last weekend, he said.

Displeased with drainage

Flooding after rain storms is a common occurrence, so some residents — including Basnicki — are frustrated with the city, alleging a lack of action in previous years.

"[City workers will] sometimes poke at the drain a few times and hopes that it drains," he said Basnicki. "If it doesn't, they drive off and maybe come back a couple of hours later."

This storm highlights the need to spend on the city's underground infrastructure, Doney said.

The city has short-, medium- and long-term plans to address the impact of flooding on residents, he said.

Long-term, the city has planned "significant infrastructure upgrades" for its stormwater ponds, including underpasses, he said.