Residents of Durham Bridge, N.B. were on high alert Friday, keeping a close eye on the area’s weather, and water levels.
“It concerns all of us,” says Durham Bridge resident Peter Clark. “I’ll take a drive down river and check it out, see how the ice is and how the water is.
On Friday, a rainfall warning was issued for communities near the Nashwaak Valley, which could lead to potential flash floods and water pooling on roads.
Clark and his wife Sylvie have lived on the Nashwaak River since 1986. Memories of last year’s historic flooding throughout the area is still fresh in their minds.
“Lots of times we have to take another route to get to Fredericton because of the floods,” recalls Sylvie Malo-Clark.
The concern for residents in the Durham Bridge area isn’t just spring rainfall, but the water that will be left behind from the snow of this heavy winter when it finally melts.
“We had a lot of snow, rain, snow and rain, so that should add more concern,” explains Malo-Clark.
“When you get a big rain, lots of ice, lots of snow, definitely you could be in for a flood,” adds Peter Clark.
Though current hydrology reports don’t call for huge changes in river levels or flow through the dams, the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization is keeping a close eye on conditions.
“The Northwest is where we don’t want rain, that’s where it has a big impact on water levels, and right now it’s falling in the South, so it’s contributing to the melt in the South,” explains Geoff Downey of the N.B. EMO.
The EMO are advising all residents to be mindful of nearby waterways and to avoid driving through water on roads, while nearby residents are hoping for a slow melt to avoid flooding like last year.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jessica Ng.
