Science

Is Canada prepared for floods like the one that happened in Texas?

Last Friday’s major flooding event in Texas that killed 89 people, including numerous children, has left local communities shattered. Now, some may be turning an eye closer to home, asking if Canada is prepared for such an extreme weather event. 

Climate change is expected to increase heavy rain events across the country

Canada years behind in flood preparedness, experts warn

17 hours ago
Duration 2:02
In the wake of the devastating flooding in Texas, several experts have warned that flood preparedness — including flood plain mapping and water mitigation — in Canada is years behind.

Last Friday's major flooding event in Texas, which killed 89 people including numerous children, has shattered local communities.

Questions abound about whether adequate warnings were provided to the residents and campgoers, and if more could have been done to prevent such a tragic loss of lives.

And now, some may be turning an eye closer to home, asking whether Canada is prepared for such an extreme weather event. The answer is yes … and no, according to some experts.

"Canada's in a very good position, in the sense that we have actually done a lot of research to understand what we need to be doing at the level of homes and communities to reduce extreme weather risk, such as flooding," said Kathryn Bakos, managing director of finance and resilience at the University of Waterloo's Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation.

"The problem — and where Canada falls short — is actually the implementation of those actions. And so there's a lot that we know we should be doing, and yet, for various reasons, we are not."

WATCH | Time-lapse footage shows waters rising over Texas causeway:

Time-lapse footage shows waters rising over Texas causeway

1 day ago
Duration 0:30
Time-lapse video provided to Reuters by a witness shows floodwaters rising on July 4 in Kingsland, Texas, as part of the state endured devastating flash flooding.

Flood-risk maps

One of the ways in which Canada isn't prepared is that most flood-risk maps are out of date, with some being decades old. 

And Canada is no stranger to flood events. 

In June 2013, a major flood in Calgary from the Bow River overflowing its banks caused an estimated $6 billion in financial and property losses. Five people died. It was one of the costliest weather events in Canadian history.

A swollen brown river is seen with trees on its banks.
A drone view of fallen trees and the Guadalupe River, following flash flooding, in Ingram, Kerr County, Texas, U.S. July 5, 2025. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

Weeks later, Toronto experienced a major rainfall event that prompted flooding throughout the city. In just 90 minutes, it received 126 millimetres of rain — more than a month's worth — causing the Don River to overflow onto the Don Valley Parkway, the main north-south thoroughfare into the city. On the other side of the river, a commuter train was trapped with hundreds of people on board for roughly seven hours. The incident cost the city $1 billion in damages.

With climate change, there's also more evidence that much of Canada will experience an increase of heavy precipitation.

"We need to be taking into consideration the the changing and evolving nature of our environment due to climate change," Bakos said. "There are going to be escalating extreme weather risks as we go forward, due to flooding, wildfire risk [and] extreme heat risk in the system."

The good news is that last month the federal government announced that it will be investing in flood mapping and adaptation projects.

Outdated maps

Walter Regan, former president of the Sackville Rivers Association in Nova Scotia, had advocated for 37 years for an updated flood plain map from the city. These maps show areas that are at risk of flooding. It finally happened last year. 

This is the third version of the map, Regan said. But there is one downside.

"Unfortunately, it does not do the entire Sackville River. It just says a portion of it. But that's major progress, and also this time around … they use climate change models to reflect the potential flooding."

In 2023, Halifax experienced one of the worst flooding events in its history. On July 21, more than 250 millimetres of rain fell in just 24 hours. While no one died in the city, four people were killed in nearby West Hants and a state of emergency was declared. Regan said that the flood maps were roughly 95 per cent accurate.

WATCH | Emergency alerts delayed by almost 2 hours in N.S. fatal 2023 floods, report finds: 

Emergency alerts delayed by almost 2 hours in N.S. fatal 2023 floods, report finds

1 year ago
Duration 2:08
A new report on last year's fatal flash flooding in Nova Scotia finds that the emergency public alert system was delayed by nearly two hours. The parents of one child who died say this tragedy could have been avoided if better systems were in place.

Why was he so adamant that the maps be updated?

"We have car seats for children. We have hard hats for workers.... The flood plain zoning is a public protection measure that's cost-effective and long overdue," he said. "The province should take the lead and protect the citizenry. That's good governance."

Bakos said it's important to bring flood-risk maps up to date across the entire country.

"On average, across Canada, flood-risk maps are 20 to 25 years out of date. Those flood-risk maps are going to be able to help us identify where there is the greatest risk in the system," she said.

And once we've identified the risks, she said, we need to implement flood control systems such as dams, diversion channels and holding ponds.

When it comes to urban environments, she says we need to complement grey infrastructure — like sidewalks — with green infrastructure like grasslands and forested areas. 

No flash flood warning system

While Environment and Climate Change Canada issues weather watches and warnings for things like tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and rainfall, it doesn't for floods — that's under provincial jurisdiction, says Dave Sills.

"So the federal government isn't allowed to issue a flash flood watch or warning. They issue a heavy rain warning instead," says Sills, who is the deputy director of the new Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory at Western University in London, Ont.

The Bow River swells surrounding Prince's Island Park, centre, after the June 2013 flood that devastated some southern Alberta communities, costing up to $6-billion in property damage and financial losses.
The Bow River swells surrounding Prince's Island Park, centre, after the June 2013 flood that devastated some southern Alberta communities, costing up to $6-billion in property damage and financial losses. (Andy Clark/Reuters)

Should there be a national flood alert system?

"It's hard to say, because it's something that's needed and ... possible, but it would take someone to really push hard for it to happen," he said. "You know, like in Ontario, we have air quality warnings that are issued jointly by Environment Canada and the province. And that's the same kind of thing that's needed. 

"We need someone to champion this and to make sure that that kind of co-operation happens."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nicole Mortillaro

Senior Science Reporter

Based in Toronto, Nicole covers all things science for CBC News. As an amateur astronomer, Nicole can be found looking up at the night sky appreciating the marvels of our universe. She is the editor of the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and the author of several books. In 2021, she won the Kavli Science Journalism Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science for a Quirks and Quarks audio special on the history and future of Black people in science. You can send her story ideas at nicole.mortillaro@cbc.ca.

With files from CBC's Jaela Bernstien and Shaina Luck