
Like many others in town, local resident Les McDonald spent most of Wednesday night taking shelter from the storm with his wife and children. After a night of continuous rain and thunder coupled with no electricity, McDonald emerged on Thursday morning to take in the aftermath. He said it was “really hard to comprehend.”
An avid videographer and owner of Digital Voodoo Media, McDonald armed himself with his camera and drone and set off cautiously around town to capture images to share with others who couldn’t venture out due to the extensive flooding.
He was shocked by what he saw.
“I think there were a lot of hard hit areas but definitely, from what I could see, anybody who lived around Cedar Creek in the area on and around Heritage Drive. I mean, it was just mind blowing. I feel so bad for the people that were so affected by the floods,” said McDonald.
“I was really affected by a chance I had to help a couple of seniors out. I could see them wading in water that was up to their hips. I asked if they needed help and they said yes. I helped them into the back of my pick up truck and drove them through the flood zone to their home. They had a car that could not make it through there. It just felt so somber and so out of this world, slowly crawling through those waters.”
While McDonald drove very slow to ensure he was not making a wake, he witnessed several drivers oblivious to the waves they were creating. At one point, he saw a tired resident come out and ask some of the approaching drivers to slow down to prevent more water from seeping into his home.
McDonald said the whole experience made him realize how deeply people are impacted by climate events such as this one. The bright spot was being able to help the senior couple back to their home. They were very grateful for the ride.
To see more of Les’ videos which focus on nature and the great Canadian outdoors, please visit and subscribe to his YouTube channel Insiders Travel Guide Canada which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/c/InsidersTravelGuideCanada
All photos and video provided by Les McDonald
Thank you so much for sharing this video with us all. Going to share this video.
Les:
Great work on the flood coverage, particularly the drone footage. As a former Kingsville resident and with family still living in the area, I always twig when I hear news of any type from home. I knew there had been flooding but had no idea how massive it was. Your work brought it all home to me in a real-time way that no amount of media coverage or conversations with those affected had done. I hope the historic cobblestone bridge survived the onslaught.
Thank you Les for your photography and thanks for caring!!!
Excellent drone footage by Les! Puts it all in perspective. Thanks to Les McDonald and Kingsville Times.