On Monday, Aug. 4, 2014, the City of Burlington received nearly two months of rain (191 milimetres) in approximately eight hours. The record rainfall caused significant flooding and damage in parts of the city. Roads, highways and more than 3000 homes were flooded.
Working together with the Province of Ontario and the Burlington Community Foundation Flood Disaster Relief Committee, the city is committed to helping individuals and families rebuild and recover from the Aug. 4 flood.
On June 30, 2015, 272 approved claims totalling $2.7 million were finalized for victims of the Aug. 4, 2014. Thank you to everyone who gave generously to the flood relief effort.
What we've learned and what we're doing
High-intensity, short duration storms are becoming more frequent, including wind storms and ice storms. With climate change currently ranked as the city’s third highest risk, actions on climate change are being taken to help respond to the climate change factor. Impact mitigation examples include:
- New Emergency and Continuity Management By-Law - In July 2019, the City of Burlington passed a new Emergency and Continuity Management By-law to support disaster resiliency and community engagement
- Partnered with the Office of the Fire Marshall and Emergency Management (OFMEM) -Burlington is the first municipality in the province that facilitated the Senior and Elected Officials Workshop which provided a review of City obligations in an emergency
- A Disaster Resilience Working Group has been formed in collaboration with Halton Region to better align and strengthen our response and recovery plan
- A Climate Action Plan, Corporate Energy Management Plan, Storm Water Management Plan and Urban Forest Management Plan have been prioritized in Burlington’s 2018-2022 Plan: From Vision to Focus work plan. The City has also set the important goal for city operations to be net carbon neutral by 2040 and work towards being a net carbon neutral community.
Flood Vulnerability, Prioritization and Mitigation Study
Following the Aug. 4, 2014 flood, the city hired AMEC Foster Wheeler, one of Ontario's leading storm water consulting experts, to work with city staff to analyze the Aug. 4 storm and its impacts on Burlington's storm water system.
The findings from the Flood Vulnerability, Prioritization and Mitigation Study were presented to Burlington City Council on July 15, 2015. At this meeting, Burlington City Council voted to approve an additional $20.4 million to funds already budgeted for storm water infrastructure improvements. These additional funds will be spent over the next ten years on storm water management capital upgrades, such as larger creek culverts and creek channel improvements.
For more information about the flood mitigation study and the recommendations approved by Council, visit Flood Reports and Studies.
Halton Region Basement Flooding Mitigation Study
For more information about Halton Region's Basement Flooding Mitigation Study focusing on the sanitary sewer system, please visit www.halton.ca.