OTTAWA (Reuters) – The heaviest rains in more than 50 years have caused flooding in Atlantic Canada’s Nova Scotia province, causing “unimaginable” damage and leaving four people, including two children, missing, officials said on Saturday.
The storm, which began on Friday, dumped more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) in just 24 hours in some areas – the same amount that normally falls in three months. The resulting floods destroyed roads, weakened bridges and flooded buildings.
“We have a dire and significant situation,” said Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, adding that at least seven bridges will need to be replaced or rebuilt.
“The loss of property … is unimaginable,” he told a news conference. Houston said the province would seek significant support from the federal government.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Toronto that he was very concerned about the flooding and promised that Ottawa would be “there” in the province.
The floods were the latest weather-related disaster to hit Canada this year. Wildfires have already burned record acres, sending plumes of smoke across the United States. Earlier this month, heavy rains caused flooding in several eastern US states.
Authorities declared a state of emergency in Halifax, Nova Scotia’s largest city, and four other regions.
(1/7)Rescue workers, shown in this video capture, work in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada, on July 21, 2023. Halifax Search and Rescue / via REUTERS
The Halifax Regional Municipality reported “extreme damage to roads and infrastructure” and urged people to stay home and not use their cars.
Photos posted on social media from Halifax showed abandoned cars almost covered in floodwaters and rescuers using boats to rescue people.
Two children went missing after the car sank, Houston said, citing police. In another incident, a man and a youth went missing after their car plunged into deep water.
At one point, more than 80,000 people were left without electricity.
Environment Canada is forecasting heavy rain through Sunday in the eastern part of the province.
“People should not think that everything is over. It’s a very dynamic situation,” Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said at a news conference, adding that the city had been hit with “biblical amounts of rain.”
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation meteorologist Ryan Snowdon said the rainfall was the heaviest since a hurricane hit Halifax in 1971.
Earlier on Saturday, authorities in northern Nova Scotia ordered residents to evacuate near St. Petersburg amid fears of a dam. Croix was breached. They later canceled the evacuation order.
(Reported by David Langren). Editing by Daniel Wallis, Richard Chang, and Paul Simo
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