**Updated at 12:53 p.m. on Thursday, August 9**
It has been a busy day for emergency crews in the Saint John area after a strong thunderstorm roared through the city.
The storm started just after 7 a.m. on Thursday and brought lots of rain, which led to several flooded roads.
Platoon Chief Kevin Comeau is warning people to stay away from flooded areas after firefighters responded to three calls about stranded vehicles.
“We’re still in the process now of identifying areas being flooded and working with the works department to have these areas barricaded off to prevent this from happening again,” Comeau said.
Emergency crews are being kept busy after a thunderstorm rolled through #SaintJohn this morning. Crews dealing with a possible flooded basement on King Street and a house was reportedly hit by lightning in Westmorland Road. pic.twitter.com/kvN1Bu590p
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) August 9, 2018
Several roads are still closed due to flooding, including:
– Rothesay Avenue at the train bridge
– Westmorland Road at Parkway Mall
– Retail Drive at Oakland Street
– Golden Grove Road at Dolan Lake
– Coast Guard parking lot (closed due to flooding)
Please drive with caution in the area of Westmorland Road near McAllister Mall. #flashflooding #drivesafely #roadclosure pic.twitter.com/zaenFEPDxJ
— Saint John Police (@saintjohnpolice) August 9, 2018
The city says roads can reopen and close again at any time, depending on rainfall amounts, and motorists should give themselves extra time to get to their destination.
Any road covered in water should be avoided, even if there are no barricades.
Comeau said crews were also called to Westmorland Road after a house was struck by lightning.
“Fortunately it did not cause a fire,” he said, adding no one was hurt.
