‘Don’t panic’: What to do if your car gets stuck during a flash flood

After Mississauga was hit particularly hard by severe flooding over the weekend, local fire crews are assisting drivers by educating them on what to do if they find themselves trapped in water.

Mississauga was among the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) cities most impacted on Saturday, Aug. 17, when the stormy weather disrupted traffic and closed some local parks and trails.

Photos and videos shared online showed roadways and parking lots submerged in water, with drivers forced to flee their vehicles. Intersections were also completely flooded in parts, while some areas near Dixie Road and Dundas Street Cooksville Creek, Streetsville, Malton, Lisgar, highway stretches of the 401, 403 and 410, and the airport were heavily impacted.

Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish said that during the weekend, the city saw varying amounts of rainfall, from 6.2 millimetres to as much as 170 millimetres in some areas.

“Stay in your car. Particularly on city streets,” said Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services (MFES) Deputy Chief Stephane Malo. “We don’t know what’s on the surface of the asphalt.”

Malo notes that advice applies if the water is not moving your vehicle. If you are not on a busy city street, the water is below the height of your car door, and it is safe for you to do so, MFES officials say you can exit the vehicle and walk to higher ground.

Malo says this is important to consider because vehicles can float when water levels reach two feet.

“Then comes the potential for the car to roll over, so what we say is don’t panic, stay calm,” he continued. “I know it’s difficult, but don’t panic. Roll your windows down, get out of the car as soon as possible, and find higher ground, and we will come and get you.

“If the water is forceful enough to push the door back, you won’t be able to open the door, so the sooner you can open the windows, the better, and then you can escape the vehicle,” added Malo.

Mississauga business impacted by severe flooding

Mississauga’s mayor has called the weekend weather event “a 100-year storm,” noting that the city has been investing significantly in stormwater infrastructure to better protect against such events.

“The scale of this flooding event, and the one on July 16, has tested our systems, and we are actively assessing how we can further improve and adapt our infrastructure to meet these ever-changing demands,” said Parrish.

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Drivers weren’t the only ones affected by the flood; local store owners also had to battle the water and take action.

Marco Raposo, owner of Vin Bon Mississauga East, said it all started with running water down the parking lot.

“Anything I had in there, we were just piling them up against the door,” he said. “One of my employees was closing it, and the other two… filling buckets, going out the back door, throwing those out. For three or four hours, it was non-stop.

“Hey, City of Mississauga, I think you have an issue here. Please get on it because I don’t want to [have to deal] with a third one this summer,” Raposo added.

Saturday’s downpour dumped 128.3 millimetres of rain at Toronto Pearson International Airport. That topped the 2013 record of 126 millimetres recorded at the airport, which is on tap for its rainiest summer ever.

The previous record for summer rainfall stood at 396.2 millimetres, but Pearson Airport has already seen 475.7 millimetres this season.