'The city is not designed to handle this amount of water': Official says little could have been done to prevent Toronto flooding

Toronto’s city manager says little could be done to prevent the widespread flooding caused by Tuesday’s record-breaking rainfall, adding that the city 'is not designed' to handle these type of storms.

Toronto’s city manager says little could be done to prevent the widespread flooding caused by Tuesday’s record-breaking rainfall, adding that the city “is not designed” to handle these type of storms.

Major highways have now reopened and hydro has been restored to the vast majority of homes and businesses in Toronto following the Tuesday’s deluge that left roadways and buildings across the city inundated with water.

A section of the Don Valley Parkway was closed for about 18 hours along with a stretch of the Gardiner Expressway and Bayview Avenue, which remained closed on Wednesday.

The closures, along with a slew of weather-related transit disruptions, caused commuter chaos for Torontonians on Tuesday.

“The challenge is much of the city is not designed to handle this amount of water that is coming down,” City Manager Paul Johnson said in an update at city hall on Wednesday.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said Toronto Fire crews responded to 1,700 calls for service on Tuesday, rescuing people from elevators and rising flood waters on city streets and highways.

"We are very thankful for these emergency services people," she said. "The city crews worked overnight to repair everything, to clear the debris."