N.S. residents prepare for more rain as they continue cleanup from last week's storm
The skies were grey once again over the Cabot Trail on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. However, with more rain in the forecast, the fear of water levels rising is top of mind for many in the area.
“It is a worry for sure, having any more rain on top of what we already had,” says Barbara Longva, Victoria County councillor.
In the community of Tarbotvale, N.S., and on the Oregon Road, more than 12 people are still stranded after two bridges were swept away.
Food and medical supplies were flown in over the weekend. Officials hope a footbridge will soon be built across the river.
However, Longva is worried the weather could cause setbacks.
“With any rain, there is a risk of water levels rising again, but at this point the river has dropped considerably,” Longva added.
In the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, extensive road repairs are underway.
“One of the big things we are doing is just keeping people off the roads. We have to be very careful especially with the events of last week,” says Robie Gourd, with Parks Canada.
The concern now though, according to Gourd, is weakened infrastructure from last week’s storm that officials are not yet aware of.
“If we have any culverts that have failed or any sink holes in the road bed, new water could possibly activate some of those and we just don't know where the water is going to go now that it has found a new course,” says Gourd.
In the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, floodwaters reached their highest levels since the Thanksgiving storm of 2016. With many people still trying to dry out, the last thing residents want to see is rain.
“It was pretty stressful. Since 2016, I think a lot of people, myself included, are up most of the night watching the levels of the wash brook and if there's any water in my basement, and checking around your house to make sure things are dry,” says Wayne Mackay, Sydney, N.S. resident.
Residents in the Antigonish, N.S. area are echoing the same concerns with rainfall warnings issued for the area once again.
Andrew Swim's home was one of the hardest hit by last week's flooding in his trailer court in Antigonish. He says the walls, floors and insulation all need to be replaced in his home.
"We don't have a place to live for probably two months," said Swim.
In total, more than a dozen homes were damaged in Swim's trailer court.
"There's 10 that need quite a bit of work done on them and there's four that have been deemed uninhabitable," said Laurie Boucher, mayor of Antigonish.
Antigonish County Warden, Owen McCarron, says with rain on the way, there is reason for concern.
"With the amount of rain we’ve had, the ground is quite saturated. Any incoming rain is certainly going to pose more problems because the ground won’t absorb water as quickly," said McCarron.
Last week's storm washed out 25 roads across Nova Scotia – most of which have reopened with a long-term fix in the works.
"This is a temporary fix until next summer when we put a bigger bridge in but we wanted to do this just so we could get the residents out the other night," said John Barter, supervisor with Transportation and Infrastructure Operation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.