Freezing rain causing trees to fall and water levels to rise in Timmins

People in Timmins are in cleanup mode and it's got nothing to do with snow. Timmins Tree Service has received dozens of calls to clean up fallen trees.

"There’s trees down all over the place," said Taylor Dayment.

"We started the day off ... with a tree broken on top of three cars. So we’re just trying to prioritize the stuff that’s already down and the massive dangers and we’ll be busy with cleanup after that."

Freezing rain overnight loaded up trees with ice and persistent rain all day long Friday added weight, especially to tree tops.

Melissa Lacoursiere, who takes her dog for daily walks in the Hersey Lake Conservation Area, was met with fallen trees on the trails.

"It was terrifying actually," she told CTV News.

"It was like an obstacle course and as I rerouted to head back to the car there were literally trees falling all around me."

The Mattagami Region Conservation Authority said it has closed the area it maintains, until crews can clean up.

There are other areas where people need to be careful where they drive. Mark Joron, a forestry technician, said he has some operations down Pine Street, but can't get down there because a culvert has been washed out.

"You can’t even get to (Highway) 560 going that way and it’ll be closed for the weekend even,” Joron said.

“And there were two other roads that just there’s so much water when the road gets saturated as soon as it starts to go over the road, it just washes right out.”

The Timmins Flood Advisory Committee has issued flood warnings for two bodies of water: the Mattagami River and Porcupine Lake.

“We have received in the last week, 140 millimetres of rain -- yesterday we got 62 millimetres in one day," said David Vallier, general manager of the Mattagami Region Conservation Authority.

“The average for the last 15 years in November is about 58 to 60 millimetres, so we beat the average for the month in one day.”

Vallier said it's common to see ponding in low lying areas right now. He said people who live in or near flood prone areas are encouraged to monitor conditions and the Mattagami Region Conservation Authority website for updates.