Warwick area drying out in wake of massive storm

WARWICK TOWNSHIP – An emergency declaration was still in effect and a couple of roads were still closed Sunday in this rural community between Sarnia and London following last week’s overwhelming rainstorm.

But, unlike in nearby Chatham where a second storm, confirmed by researchers to be a downburst, a stretch of warm and dry weather in Warwick Township has helped dry up some of the local flooding caused by Wednesday’s downpour.

Warwick Township officials declared the emergency Thursday after up to 180 mm of rainfall was measured during the course of about five hours late Wednesday, closing multiple roads including a section of Highway 402. However, all roads except for a heavily damaged section of Zion Line were expected to reopen by Saturday, township officials said Friday.

“All info from yesterday on closures remains in effect. A portion of Zion Line and Kingscourt Road are closed. Our team is out today making further repairs,” township chief administrator Amanda Gubbels said Saturday via email when asked for an update.

While every gravel road in the municipality was damaged, township officials previously said pavement leading up to a bridge on Zion Line over Bear Creek was shifted by flood waters and will require major repairs. Large road closure signs were posted Saturday at Zion Line and Nauvoo Road and again at Zion Line and Bethesda Road leading up to the damaged section of the road.

Despite the damage, there was no sign of floodwaters there Saturday and a nearby resident said the area has dried up.

It was a similar scene in the nearby AW Campbell Conservation Area, where some campers were stranded after a road heading into the campground was washed out by the heavy rainfall. But a spokesperson with the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority said Saturday the water has receded, the road repaired and the campground reopened.

Warwick Mayor Todd Case didn’t respond to a request for an update this weekend, but he previously said they were still trying to put a price tag on the damage in a community where almost everybody was affected in some way. Communication with federal and provincial authorities has been good since the emergency declaration to seek funding to help deal with the fallout, he has said.

Officials said Twin Creeks Landfill would have extended hours Saturday so residents could drop off damaged items and construction waste free of charge. Waste bins for smaller items were to be open outside the East Lambton community complex and the Warwick community center until Monday, also free of charge, officials said.

Meanwhile, conservation authority officials issued a flood watch Saturday for the Wallaceburg area as water levels in the lower reaches of the Sydenham River continue to rise. The flood watch was expected to be in effect until Monday.

Over in Petrolia, Bridgeview Park and a section of the Petrolia Discovery, which were underwater for several days after Wednesday’s storm, were beginning to dry up, but the park was still closed Sunday. Town officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for an update.

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@ObserverTerry