River Canard Yacht Club
• Drive-Thru • Specialty Compounding • Blister Packs TRANSFER IN TODAY - WE DO THE WORK!
Daily Ramp Passes Available at River Canard Yacht Club for $20 Debit or credit only at the gate For all inquiries please call
519-736-2223 • apcw.ca 433 Sandwich St S.
519-919-2646
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Storms cause flooding in the area By Ron Giofu Two large thunderstorms last week left their mark across Amherstburg as well as the rest of the region. Amherstburg town council will soon be seeing a report detailing what could be done to mitigate damage in the future from such storms. The region was belted by a pair of storms, with the first one starting late Wednesday night and lasting through much of the early morning hours of Thursday. The second storm came roughly 24 hours later, starting Thursday night and lasting well into Friday morning. It also impacted the town’s “Amherstburg Alert” mass notification system. A weather summary listed by Environment Canada stated an unofficial 48-hour rainfall amount for Amherstburg listed as 106.7mm as of 8 a.m. Friday morning. That was the same as Tecumseh, but well below Harrow, which had a reported amount of 215.6mm of rain by 8 a.m. Friday. Other regional municipalities listed included Pelee Island at 206.8mm, Wheatley at 153.2mm, Glencoe at 136.7mm, Belle River at 114.8mm, Dutton at 100.1mm and Chatham-Kent at 68mm. Environment Canada added that “roughly 90,000 customers were without power at one point across southern Ontario.” Basements were flooded in homes across the area, as well as yards, fields and entire streets. Local golf courses were impacted, including Coachwood Golf and Country Club on Howard Ave. and Sutton Creek Golf Club in McGregor to name two. The former was scheduled to host the Amherstburg Food and Fellowship Mission’s “People Helping People” golf tournament but that was cancelled, with the mission only able to conduct the raffle portion out of its Victoria St. S. location Saturday afternoon. Not only did Coachwood experience flooding on the course, but access to the course was restricted after the storm as the area had flooded and caused water to go over Howard Ave. (County Road 9). That caused a road closure at the entrance to the golf course, forcing traffic to detour in that area. Sutton Creek posted an aerial picture to its Instagram account showing extensive flooding to the course.
Other streets, and even subdivisions, flooded in the hours and days after the storm. The St. Therese subdivision in Malden Centre was under water in the hours after the storm. A section of Concession 8 North between Alma St. and Middle Side Road (County Road 10), near the Canard Valley Conservation Area, saw water go over the roadway and result in the temporary closure of that road. A section of Walker Road at Texas Road was also flooded, though Walker Road was already closed in that area due to ongoing bridge reconstruction. Amherst Pointe also saw flooding with several streets under water as a result of storm damage. Mayor Michael Prue said he had several calls from residents in that area, the St. Therese subdivision, McGregor residents, and other parts of town.
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RTT PHOTO BY RON GIOFU Drew Mingay tries her hand at the “L’il Artists’ Workshop.”
Art by the River draws over 8,000 By Ron Giofu
Flooding caused damage in several parts of Amherstburg after heavy rain hit the area last week. Water covered Howard Ave. just north of Middle Side Road last Friday, causing people to use a kayak to get to their vehicles parked nearby (right). A truck got stuck in the water at Walker Road and Texas Road causing one of two water rescues last week.
ABOVE PHOTO BY RON GIOFU, BELOW PHOTO SUBMITTED
One of the area’s most popular arts and crafts shows returned to the grounds of Fort Malden National Historic Site last weekend. The 56th annual Art by the River was held and attracted an approximate crowd of over 8,000 people, with the show organized by and benefitting the Gibson Gallery. Arts, crafts and food vendors and entertainment ranging from musicians to magicians attended the two-day weekend event. “It’s good, the weather is decent,” said Maddy Strome from the booth Madd Resin. Strome said she was selling a lot of hair clips, keychains and earrings during her second year at Art by the River. She said the number of vendors getting together was an attraction for her. “It brings a lot of small businesses in the community together,” said Strome.
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