Burlington At Risk Of Flooding

Burlington Today- August 29, 2024-Calum O”Malley

A recent study by MyChoice, an insurance comparison platform based in Toronto, has found that Burlington is one of the most at-risk cities for flooding in Ontario.

The study, which used data such as average rainfall, distance from rivers and drainage areas, soil moisture, land usage, terrain characteristics and infrastructure to rank Ontario cities on a scale from one to five, with higher numbers meaning a city has a greater risk of flooding.

Burlington ranked as the 17th most flood-prone city in the province with a 3.6 rating, tying with Kingston. The study also showed how much money each city is spending on ongoing, climate-resilient infrastructure projects, though there was no funding listed for Burlington. The city did spend around $100 million on repairing water systems to prevent flooding since the floods of 2014.

Around 1,400 Burlington homes were damaged by the heavy rain and flooding that took place on July 15 and 16.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has said that severe weather caused around $1.3 billion in damages nationwide in 2023, and that the flash floods in July 2024 alone dealt around $940 million in damages. The Canadian Climate Institute has also stated that around 10 per cent of Canadian homes, around 1.8 million houses, are at very high risk of flooding.