Intense thunderstorm leads to flooded streets in Regina
A ferocious thunderstorm that pelted Regina with heavy rain, hail and a tornado led to traffic hold ups and business closures across the city.
The main issue facing the city’s emergency services was water backlogs around Regina’s underpasses.
For several hours Sunday morning, traffic was restricted on Ring Road north of Victoria Avenue due to flooding around the Ross Street underpass.
Social media posts from emergency services across the city highlighted stranded drivers among the city’s newly created lakes.
Environment Canada reported that Regina recieved a total of 17.3 milimetres of precipitation during the storm.
However, it wasn’t just motorists who were affected by the influx of water.
Staff at the Newo-Yotina Friendship Centre came into work Sunday morning and were greeted by a rude awakening from Mother Nature.
“We walked in this morning and it was just wet feet pretty much from the mess,” paramedic Rian Put told CTV News.
“Inside, we saw a pretty large puddle in the middle of the room there, walked into a couple offices and again, puddles in the room. Lots of mud coming up in the bathroom from the sinks, all backfilled.”
The flooding was a major issue for staff. Put reiterated that countless people rely on Newo-Yotina for clean and safe facilities.
“Our people are unable to access safe supplies for drug use, safe consumption site, they’re unable to sit and maybe have a nap inside, one of the few places they can use a washroom that they might not be able to access and have to find elsewhere for services,” Chiara Wolfe, a housing support generalist with the centre told CTV News.
According to Environment Canada, the storm that rolled through the Queen City is now well on its way to the east.
Regardless, Regina and the rest of the province may see more storms like it in the near future.
“Saskatchewan has kind of been the battleground for thunderstorm activity. So with the very slow moving patterns there’s just been rounds and rounds of thunderstorm activity,” meteorologist Chris Stammers explained.
“It does look like it will remain unsettled for the next few days although the worst of the weather is going shift into Manitoba over the next couple of days.”
For the centre’s staff, all that can be done now is clean up the mess and hope they wont have to close their doors again.
“Having this centre open on a Sunday is really beneficial,” Wolfe said. “It’s detrimental to have to close and it’s sad to turn people away but we ultimately don’t want people to get hurt.”
“People need it every day,” Put added. “They’re always gonna need it … every single day.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.