Water, Water, Everywhere...

Last Friday, Toronto and much of southern Ontario was hit with a freak rain and hailstorm that left the city with severe flooding in many areas. I was at work when the storm first hit. The rain was so thick we could barely see across the street. When the hail started to fall, it made a lot of noise hitting our steel and glass office building to the point where I could barely hear the client who I was talking to on the phone. I left work promptly at five with the idea that I would "make early Shabbos" with not having a clue as to what the traffic situation was really like. At this point we were getting light rain in our area. I walked to the bus stop and shortly thereafter, it started coming down hard again. It appeared in the distance that the police had blocked off the road and the traffic was at a standstill. For a half an hour I waited in vain for a bus that I didn't think was likely to show up anyways until the rain finally stopped and the sun came out. I then started to walk home. Along the way I noticed the flooding. Several parking lots and parts of Steeles Ave. were flooded. When I passed Leslie, I noticed in the distance several TTC buses idling. There is a place where the street dips down and goes underneath a bridge. That area was completely flooded and cut off the street entirely. Some cars were stalled and half submerged under water. One of the TTC drivers told me that she had been stuck there since 3:45, and it was already 6:30. Altogether, it took me about one hour and 45 minutes to walk home from the bus stop. My legs are still sore.