Storm stories: evacuations and ‘fire’ at the legislature

Thunder, lightning, hail and rain — lots of rain — were on the minds of Manitobans Wednesday after storms created havoc and left many with flooded basements and without electricity.

Here are some scenes of how Manitobans dealt with the wild weather and its aftermath:

Some residents in Grosse Isle, about 30 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, were evacuated by boat after properties flooded during torrential downpours.

Larry Wandowich, chief administrative officer of the Rural Municipality of Rosser, said volunteer firefighters carried out the evacuation at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

While he didn’t have an exact number, Wandowich said a “handful” of people had to be brought out in boats because the water around their homes was high.

“This was a very dramatic amount of rain that fell in a short period of time,” Wandowich said.

The homes lost power during the storm.

Evacuees were moved to Grosse Isle’s community centre, which was also without electricity. Wandowich said they have since found places to stay, including with family or friends in Winnipeg, until the water recedes and they can return.

Rosser declared a state of emergency due to overland flooding and power outages.

Wandowich urged residents to be cautious and to contact Manitoba Hydro if they return to a flooded basement.

Hydro advises people not to enter flooded basements or buildings because they may have energized wires or appliances. Electricity can move through water or wet flooring.

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The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service sent crews to the Manitoba legislature three times during the storm for “lights mistaken for fire.”

Callers from taller buildings nearby reported seeing what they thought was a fire on the roof of the legislature.

Fire crews were sent to the building Tuesday at 6:21 p.m., again at 6:42 p.m. and just after midnight on Wednesday to make sure it wasn’t ablaze.

A spokesperson for the city said fire crews reported that a floodlight on the roof that illuminates the building appeared to be a flickering flame because of the severe weather. The flame-like optical illusion is caused by refraction as light passes through driving rain and turbulent air.

The WFPS received 851 emergency 911 calls, including 10 calls for possible structure fires, from 6 p.m. Tuesday till Wednesday.

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Wendy Cowie was enjoying a late dinner Tuesday evening on her sister’s screened-in deck in Transcona when a thunderclap and bright flash suddenly interrupted the meal.

“We were in my sister’s backyard, she has a screened-in deck, and there was just a huge boom and a giant flash of light, and we all went, ‘Ooh, that was close, that was right there,’” Cowie said Wednesday.

The family didn’t realize just how close the lightning had come.

It wasn’t until Wednesday morning, when Cowie’s brother-in-law opened the front curtains, that they discovered the damage next door on Wynford Drive.

“We didn’t do an investigation when we heard it,” she said. “This morning, we were having coffee on the deck and my brother-in-law came back and asked if we had seen the neighbour’s tree.”

Cowie, who was visiting from Alberta and describes herself as a fan of thunderstorms, said the aftermath was striking.

“The bark on the tree was peeled like a banana,” she said. “It’s smooth and peeled just right back. Bits of it, the tree just exploded, really. There’s bits of bark all over the place, even across the street.”

The lightning strike split the tree down the middle, leaving one half sprawled across the roadway while the other remained standing.

“If we had seen it, we might have been more scared,” Cowie said. “But last night, it was just like, “Wow, that was cool.”

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Mayor Scott Gillingham got caught in Tuesday evening’s hailstorm and had to pull over on the side of the road.

“It was really coming down hard. It’s the hardest hailstorm that I’ve driven through, and I was surprised that there was no damage to the car,” he told reporters Wednesday.

Gillingham left city hall and was heading to an event at Assiniboia Downs at about 6 p.m. when his car was pummelled with hail for several blocks. He pulled over for a bit to wait it out, but realized the effort was futile.

“(I) realized I had no place of refuge, so I decided to just drive to get out of the hail,” he said.

The storm didn’t impact his drive time, but Gillingham knows other people who had to take alternative routes because of flooded roads. Later that night, the mayor watched weather reports closely.

“I … had several things going on my phone and watching on TV, watching the Weather Network, and every update, really every few minutes things had changed, and there were new warnings and new locations, so it was a very dynamic situation last night,” he said.

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Susan Oakley was preparing to walk home from work Tuesday afternoon when a co-worker offered her a ride — a gesture she was especially grateful for once the storm hit.

The Sanford resident has the photos to prove it, posing with two tennis ball-sized hailstones that fell during the severe weather.

“I have never seen anything like it,” Oakley said Wednesday.

She shared the image on Facebook, where it had attracted more than 1,700 reactions and 143 comments by Wednesday afternoon.

While Oakley’s own vehicle escaped with only a handful of minor dents, she said others in the community were not as fortunate. Posts on the local Facebook page showed one vehicle with a smashed side window, while others sustained significant hail damage.

“I’m super happy that I got a ride home,” Oakley said.

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Winnipeg police were busy early Wednesday afternoon directing traffic along Portage Avenue because a number of traffic lights were out.

Officers were at the intersections of Maryland Street and Arlington Street directing traffic. Lights were also out at Ruby and Sherburn streets.

Const. Claude Chancy said when he arrived at work, there were 20 calls for service regarding traffic lights being out.

Chancy said it’s all hands on deck with cadet patrols, who are often tasked with directing traffic. There were three units and a supervisor out early Wednesday afternoon, along with several officers across the city.

He said it’s a fluid situation, and cadets and officers go to where they are needed most.

“As soon as we hear people are running lights or that multiple accidents are just being avoided, then we need to go down there and kind of control things,” he said.