The clean-up from Monday's rain storm is continuing this morning. Last night Toronto Hydro triggered rolling blackouts in west end after the remaining, undamaged electrical supply became overwhelmed. More outages are expected today and 16,000 customers are still without power.
The TTC is still struggling to restore service between Islington and Kipling stations this morning due to a particularly nasty flood at the end of the Bloor-Danforth line. The final stretch will not be up and running for the morning rush and shuttle buses have been dispatched. The line between Jane and Islington is now running a full service. The latest info is here.
On the GO network, repairs to the Lake Shore West line have gone well and trains will be running the full length the route to and from Union station. Lingering work will mean a slower ride in, however, so leave extra time. Detailed service advisories here.
The rains, while damaging, did give many Torontonians a glimpse at several long-buried waterways that rose zombie-like out of the ground during the heaviest rainfall. Most of the lost streams - Taddle Creek, Garrison Creek, Small's Pond, etc. - have been encased in concrete sewers for generations.
Meanwhile, more than a billion litres of raw sewage may have escaped on to the streets and in to the lake on Monday night. It turns out the city's oldest sewers are split in two: one side for effluent, one side for storm water, and there's only a little wall between them. When things get hairy, the two tend to get mixed into one seriously gross sludge.
Metrolinx says the GO train that became stuck in the Don Valley was preparing to reverse back to Union Station when it became disabled. As if to underscore the speed of the rising water, the train ahead of it on the track managed to slip through without incident. All trains are advised to stop when tracks are submerged to reduce the risk of derailment.
As was reported on Monday, a small water snake was seen weaving its way through the stranded commuter train and now CBC has a video of the confused critter. Why it's almost like that movie....
An photograph of an extremely photogenic cop and stranded train passenger is making the rounds on social media. The image by Canadian Press photographer Frank Gunn shows a young unidentified officer carrying a young woman from a dinghy to dry ground. The memes have already started.
Now that the worrisome business of staying safe from a natural disaster is almost over, this traveling adult-sized see-saw should inject a little bit of fun back in to things. The interactive art installation is the brainchild of Julian Majewski and the Toronto Awesome Foundation. See it in a public space near you soon.
IN BRIEF:
- Teen survives brutal crash during Toronto flood [CTV News]
- Man nabbed for drunk driving while heading to court for earlier drunk driving case [Toronto Star]
- Ubaldo Jimenez, Indians shut down Blue Jays [CBC]
- Toronto FC trades Silva to D.C. in move that could help pave the way for Forlan [CTV News]
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Image: Vik/blogTO Flickr pool.