Flooding leads to state of emergency in Windsor, Tecumseh, Ont.

Mayors in Windsor and Tecumseh,Ont., declared a state of emergency for their communities after massive flooding hit the region Thursday.

More than 190millimetres of rain fell in Tecumseh, while80.8 millimetres of rainfall wasrecorded in Windsor between 9 p.m. Wednesday and 5 p.m. Thursday.

Another 70millimetres isexpected tohit the region Thursday evening and into Friday, and a flood warning remains in effect.

"This is beyond the reasonable capacity of the city to handle," Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkenssaid at a news conference Thursday afternoon. "It's beyond the capacity of the residents to handle."

Dilkenssaid damagetohomes and businesseswill be overwhelming, and he plans to ask senior levels of government for help.

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Basements and streets in Windsor and Tecumsehflooded as rain pummelled the region. Dilkens and Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamarasaid they have never seen a storm like this one.

"This wasn't a one-in-10-year storm. It wasn't even a one-in-100-year storm," Dilkens said.

"I've never seen anything that intense in the 35 years I've been in this region," McNamarasaid. "This is unprecedented."

By Friday afternoon, Dilkens reported1,100flood-related calls to its311 service centre, which saw call volumes more thantriple the normal level. Dilkensreminded residents to keep callingif they get a busy signal.

Windsor's fire department reported responding to92 incidents during the storm.

Hundreds of residents in the communities reported flooding in their basements. John and Matilda Adams first discovered flooding at 7:30 a.m.They tried using two pumps to clear the water at their home, but that wasn't enough. Eventually they had to install four pumps in an effort to keep the water at bay.

Basement flooding in Windsor, Tecumseh storm

8 years ago

Duration 2:18

CBC News spoke with John and Matilda Adams as they went through their flooded basement after a storm pulled their neighbourhood.

"We tried to do our best," John Adams said. "But we couldn't keep up. We were just panicking really."

"What can you do when something like this happens?" Matilda Adams said.

Dilkens wants to tap into aprovincial emergency fund to help those residents, sayingofficials will apply to see if the city is eligible. With more rain in the forecast Friday, Dilkens said provincial inspectors would likely assess the situation when the storm moves through on the weekend.

"We want to do everything we can. We're not shirking our responsibilities," he said.