Cleanup continues as second August storm smashes Ottawa

Yet another summer storm smashed through the National Capital Region on the night of Aug. 12, flooding residential areas, bringing down trees and cutting power to thousands of homes.

As of 8 a.m. on Aug. 13, Hydro Ottawa reported that about 8,000 customers were without power, mostly in Knoxdale-Merivale, College and Bay municipal wards, which were also among the hardest-hit during the July 1 storm .

“Clearly, Mother Nature or some other authority has an issue with Ward 8 and Ward 9. What more should the storm-beaten, electricity-deprived residents of Knoxdale-Merivale ward and College ward be expected to put up with?” Coun. Sean Devine asked in a Facebook post overnight.

The Ottawa Citizen’s best journalism, delivered directly to your inbox by 7 p.m. on weekdays.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

Devine posted several photos of downed trees, ponding and damaged hydro infrastructure in his ward on social media and said he’d received at least one report of basement flooding.

The City of Ottawa received so many calls in the storm’s aftermath that it posted a request on social media that residents only call 311 for urgent requests. Any requests concerning flooding should be made online, the post said.

On Ainsley Drive in Nepean, resident Dale Thompson’s car was completely obscured by her neighbour’s massive tree, which split and fell during the Aug. 12 storm.

As of 11 a.m. on Aug. 13, Thompson said the city had already come by twice to assess the damage and promised to clean it up later that day.

Thompson said she thought the tree snapped and fell around 10:30 p.m., but at the time assumed it was a crack of thunder.

“I heard all this noise, and I looked out my window, and it was hail. And I thought that was all, so I went back to bed. I never thought (more about it) until my neighbours were knocking on my door,” she said.