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VIDEO: South Island recovering from floods, outages

Record-breaking rainfall took Greater Victoria by storm Monday

Greater Victoria is still recovering from the rain, flooding and wind that struck the region on Monday, Nov. 15.

READ MORE: BC Ferries planning emergency cargo route between Nanaimo, Victoria

Heavy rainfall started Sunday, Nov. 14 and caused problems the following day. The rain, alongside flooding and strong winds, caused property and road damage as well as multiple power outages.

By 9 a.m. on Monday the Malahat between Finlayson Arm Road and Wellswood Road was seeing intermittent closures as floodwaters covered the road. As water began damaging parts of the northbound lane, the stretch of Hwy. 1 was closed overnight until the morning of Nov. 16.

The Malahat received the worst of the rain on Monday, Nov. 15, with Environment Canada recording 88 millimetres. Victoria International Airport and Gonzales Point saw 79 and 72 millimetres of precipitation, respectively.

As the rainfall died down and winds picked up, power outages began to hit residences and businesses across southern Vancouver Island at around 2 p.m. on Monday. Almost 50,000 customers were affected.

As of Wednesday, Nov. 17, Greater Victoria is dealing with traffic issues caused by staggered single-lane Malahat access and temporary gas shortages. Some roads remain closed as crews work to repair damage from the storm.

READ MORE: Gas shortage hits Greater Victoria as stations deal with supply chain issues

READ MORE: Trio dances in traffic to ease stress of waiting on the Malahat

READ MORE: Goldstream salmon swim beside picnic tables amid surging stormwaters


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