Is Canada prepared for floods like the one that happened in Texas?
Climate change is expected to increase heavy rain events across the country
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."
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One of the ways in which Canada isn't prepared is that most flood-risk maps are out of date, with some being decades old.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.
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.
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.
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."
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With files from CBC's Jaela Bernstien and Shaina Luck