State of emergency across Nova Scotia | Live broadcast

2:14

That’s the equivalent of three months of rain in Nova Scotia in 24 hours. Here’s a summary of this flood day with Marie-Isabel Rochon.

A new record disaster

Although official figures have not yet been recorded, it is believed that the Halifax area has not seen this level of rainfall since Hurricane Beth made landfall near the eastern tip of Nova Scotia on August 16, 1971. During that time, nearly 250 mm of rain fell in the Halifax area, causing widespread flooding and $3.5 million in damage.

Neither was the case last fall when Post-Tropical Storm Fiona hit the Atlantic provinces, killing three people, leveling dozens of homes and knocking out power to 600,000 homes and businesses. Fiona was the costliest weather event in the region’s history, causing $800 million in insured damage.

With information from the Canadian Press

Residents without electricity

Currently, 5,756 homes and businesses are still without power due to 261 outages, according to the Nova Scotia Power website.

Justin Trudeau spoke with the Premier of Nova Scotia

A state of emergency for the entire province

By the end of the day, the Nova Scotia government declared a state of emergency for the entire province.

A state of emergency helps limit travel, better coordinate resources and expedite work to repair some critical infrastructure.

The measure will remain in force for 14 days, unless the government suspends or extends it. Therefore, the state of emergency will end on August 5 without the Nova Scotia government taking action.

However, according to the Nova Scotia government, some areas were more affected than others, such as East and West Hants, the Halifax Regional Municipality, and the counties of Lunenburg and Queens.

Damage overview

Water breached a bridge near Smileys Provincial Park in Newport, Hants County.

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Water covered a large area near Highway 14 in the Three Mile Plains area of ​​Hants County, including part of the highway.

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A car almost drowned at the entrance to a shopping center in Bedford.

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Lenihan Memorial Stadium in Bedford is under water.

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Several teams were used to find the four

RCMP are searching for four missing people, including two children. Police are reporting two separate incidents involving two vehicles submerged in water.

In a statement, police say the search will involve the participation of the RCMP’s Underwater Rescue Team, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center and the Department of Natural Resources and Renewable Energy.

At a press conference, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said finding these people was a priority.

In Bedford, a suburb of Halifax, heavy rain caused the Sackville River to overflow its banks. In some places the road has completely disappeared.

more rain

In its 4 p.m. update, Environment Canada maintained a rain warning for eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. According to this federal agency, it should decrease by another 30 to 60 millimeters. The rain is expected to end tonight or tomorrow morning.

Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Halifax area, which could bring down large amounts of rain in a short period of time.

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