A rainfall warning and a flood watch remain in effect for all of Essex County in Ontario, and a flood warning is in effect for the city of Windsor, the town of Tecumseh and the town of Lakeshore.
Even as hundreds of residents recover from the severe flooding that hit Thursday morning, heavy rainfall continued to drench the region, with much more rain expected Friday.
Rainfall amounts have varied in the region since starting Wednesday evening, ranging from 94 mm in Windsor to 190 mm in Tecumseh, according to Environment Canada, which still has a rainfall warning and flood watch for all of Essex County.
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Blue Heron Bridge flooded0:15
At a news briefing Friday, Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara said the flooding was caused by a "catastrophic amount of rain" that was "unprecedented" for his community.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens explained his decision to declare a state of emergency for the city. As of late Thursday, the city's service centre received 1,600 calls since the flood began. Of those calls, 1,100 were specific to basement flooding. 
Many residents no longer have insurance coverage because of regular flooding in the region, Dilkens explained.
"I have to allow these residents some relief in the best way I can do it," he said. 
Environment Canada says several rounds of showers and thunderstorms will continue in Essex County on Friday with 20-50 mm of rain expected.
Because of the rain forecast, the Essex Region Conservation Authority issued flood warnings for Windsor, Tecumseh and the neighbouring town of Lakeshore. 
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Windsor flooding drone video0:44
Dilkens urged residents to flush less water down their drains as it continues to rain over the weekend.
"Try and be careful about how much water you put down the drain, because it does actually impact your neighbours," he said.

Disaster relief available

Once the initial emergency response to the flooding is over, there may also be some provincial relief through a couple of Ministry of Municipal Affairs programs.
Provincial inspectors are already in the communities assessing damage, said McNamara. Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs Bill Mauro told CBC News more inspectors are on their way in the coming days.
Based on their assessments, residents may be able to get financial help through the Disaster Recovery Assistance Program.
"That might provide some financial assistance to individuals, small businesses and the like," Mauro said, adding the program may not cover everyone who suffered damage. "The programs are not intended to be a replacement for insurance coverage."
Municipalities can also apply for financial assistance through the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance Program, which is designed to help communities that spend significant resources following natural disasters.
Mauro said there appears to be more severe weather incidents that require communities to access provincial support.
"It seems as though this is becoming more the norm than abnormal," he said.
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