The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) has issued a statement that those residing along the Fort Erie Shoreline from Fort Erie to Haldimand County should take note that their area is currently under a flood watch.
Warnings peaked last week with a notice telling residents to avoid the shoreline on Wednesday, Nov. 30. This level of concern is no longer in effect.
The notice was put out by the NPCA as a special weather statement warning the public to stay especially vigilant in preparation for wave heights of 1.7 metres. The warning was issued due to the expectation that strong winds moving between 70 kilometres-per-hour and 80 kilometres-per-hour would occur in the affected areas.
The NPCA put out the notice as issued by Environment Canada, warning residents about “strong west to southwest winds with potential gusts approaching 90 km/hr” on Wednesday morning. The now-outdated warning also mentioned that the strong southwest winds had the potential to “increase water levels and waves along the Lake Erie shoreline.”
The agency had asked citizens to avoid the lake’s shoreline during the day, adding that increased erosion and flooding were possibilities should a major storm occur.
While nothing major came from the concerns last week, the Fort Erie Shoreline continues to be kept under the “flood watch” designation on the NPCA’s website.
According to the NPCA, this designation is issued when “flooding is possible in specific watercourses or municipalities,” adding that “municipalities, emergency services and individual landowners in flood-prone areas should prepare.”
The NPCA continues to monitor the situation and has promised to provide updates to the public as soon as they are available.
Intense weather conditions can be reported by members of the public at ONstorm@ec.gc.ca, and Twitter users are encouraged to tweet out information using the hashtag #ONStorm.
The NPCA has advised residents to download the Alertable app in order to stay informed on official advisories and information on potential storms in their areas.