‘672 emergency incidents’: Cleanup underway following Toronto’s severe rain storm

CP24's Beatrice Vaisman with the latest details from Toronto Hydro following a severe rainstorm across the GTA.

Emergency crews and Toronto Hydro officials are continuing to cleanup following Saturday’s heavy rain storm that brought down trees and powerlines across the GTA.

The city saw rain accumulations between 30 and 50 millimetres overnight, with Environment Canada previously placing the region under a special weather statement.

• ‘Cool, wet, windy’: Heavy rainfall, strong winds expected in the GTA this weekend

On Sunday, Toronto Fire officials say crews responded to “672 emergency incidents” over a 24-hour period, with overall call volumes running 36 per cent higher than normal across all categories.

Meanwhile, Toronto Hydro say their crews are still working to restore power to some neighbourhoods. In a statement, they say they responded to “over 145 power events, largely due to downed powerlines and tree contact with wires.”

“We’re continuing to respond to scattered outages throughout the city due to yesterday’s high winds,” officials wrote. “The majority of these outages have already been assessed and restored, with crews continuing to work through the remaining outages. We’re also responding to a number of police, fire and ambulance-related calls, which are being prioritized.”

Residents are being reminded to stay at least 10 metres away from downed power lines and report them immediately to Toronto Hydro.

A postponed Bruno Mars concert

The weather was so severe that even Uptown Funk singer Bruno Mars had to reschedule his concert at the Rogers Stadium just hours before he was set to perform.

• ‘I’ll make it up to you,’ says Bruno Mars, as Saturday night concert in Toronto postponed due to rain

In a statement, he said “I never want this but I need everyone to be safe in order to have a good time. I’ll make it up to you Toronto on the 31st. I promise.”

Residents across the city are being remined that report downed trees or powerlines to Toronto Hydro at 416-542-8000.