A powerful storm that swept through Regina hit the northwest part of the city the hardest.
According to Kurtis Doney, the City of Regina’s director of water, wastewater and environment, about 28 millimetres of rain (1.1 inches) fell in that area in about an hour.
“Main damage around the city was caused by a large amount of hail and strong winds, creating debris, blocking catch basins and roads,” Doney said during a news conference on Wednesday.
That area saw some localized flooding as the storm stripped leaves off branches and plugged storm drains, Doney said.
Doney noted residents helped out to clear catch basins of debris. He said people have “adopted” more than 740 storm drains across the city.
“It’s very important to go to your storm drain and ensure that the leaves are removed to allow the rainwater to enter the storm drain,” he said. “(It’s important) even today, as the storm passes, to go out throughout the day if possible and remove those leaves to allow the next rainstorm to enter into the catch basins.”
City crews were busy making sure critical services like wastewater and stormwater were able to continue, he said.
“(The city’s) operational team responded, as mentioned, ensuring that pumping stations were working and roads were being cleared as quickly as possible,” Doney said.
The city received 95 calls for service during the storm. As the cleanup continues, Doney said the city prioritizes urgent calls.
“The City of Regina focuses on significant situations where there might be downed trees or branches blocking the road,” he said.
“(If) residents have situations where there is debris but it’s not having a safety impact, we just ask them to hold and provide that information in a few days if that hasn’t been cleaned up.”
Doney said providing pictures helps the city spot safety hazards and prioritize that work.