WINDSOR — The city of Windsor is asking residents along Riverside Dr. in east Windsor to have an evacuation plan due to rising water levels in the Detroit River.
Areas at highest risk are homes between George Ave. to the Tecumseh boundary according to Windsor Fire Chief and Community Emergency Management Co-ordinator Stephen Laforet.
Speaking on AM800's the Dan MacDonald Show, Laforet says lake levels continue to rise and could climb another 5 inches by the end of this month.
If that's the case, he points out, homes would be affected by northeast winds.
"Our starting point for water this year is higher than last year," he says. "We are quite a number of inches or centimetres higher than monthly averages and we've been like that since January."
To make matters worse, he says having an evacuation centre could pose a problem to stop the spread of COVID-19, if too many people require it.
"Please think about what would happen if you had to leave your home," he says. "Please find a place to go because if we have to open up a shelter or evacuation centre we could have a large number of people which could accelerate the spread of the disease."
Chief Laforet expects flooding will occur.
"To think we could stop the water from coming onto Riverside Drive is probably a little too optimistic," he adds. "At this point in time we want to reduce and limit the amount of water."
The Essex Region Conservation Authority has issued a long-term flood water for the region.