Ontario town declares state of emergency as heavy rain floods roads

The Township of Southwold in southwestern Ontario has declared a state of emergency as heavy rainfall has led to widespread flooding and numerous road closures. The township, located south of London, issued the declaration Friday morning, prioritizing public safety as crews work to manage the situation across the municipality.

Officials are urging residents to avoid driving through flooded areas, and public works crews are actively monitoring the conditions as the water levels begin to recede. Several key roads, including sections of Burwell Road, McDiarmid Line, and Oneida Road, remain impassable due to flooding. The intersection of Sixth Line and Lawrence Line is also affected.

Repairs are scheduled to begin Saturday morning, with crews starting work at 6 a.m. Emergency remediation efforts are underway on Thomas Road and in Fingal, with full restoration expected to take up to two weeks. Residents experiencing basement flooding are advised to place damaged items at the roadside for collection, with further details on pickup to be released on Monday.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for much of southwestern Ontario, warning that some areas have already received between 50 and 100 mm of rain and could experience more before the system moves out. Southwold is at least the third municipality in Ontario to declare a state of emergency due to flooding within the past week.