TRURO, N.S. -- Flood waters in Truro receded Tuesday as officials assessed damage to streets and dikes a day after two tidal rivers in central Nova Scotia overflowed their banks.
The emergency measures co-ordinator for Colchester County said there is a large amount of damage to roads, culverts and possibly to bridges along the Salmon and North rivers.
Robert Levine says many residents and businesses also suffered property damage in Truro and the adjoining village of Bible Hill.
"We're going to have a huge amount of damage but we can't assess that until the water leaves," he added.
The Red Cross said a shelter set up in Bible Hill closed Monday night and a second one in Truro had seven people who were forced from their homes spend the night. Dozens of other people dropped in to get updates on the situation.
The relief agency says most of those affected by the flood spent the night with relatives, friends or at hotels and motels.
Water flowed over a dike on the Salmon River and poured into a low-lying plain around the waterway on Monday after about 100 to 120 millimetres of rain fell in central Nova Scotia.
The flood waters also rose in the adjoining community of Bible Hill, forcing evacuations and blocking road access to the town.
Chris Fogarty of the Canadian Hurricane Centre estimates that central Nova Scotia received as much rain in a single day as it usually gets in a month.
Lenore Zann, who represents the area in the legislature, said the province will meet with the municipality to plan ways to reduce flooding in the future.
"We feel that this needs to be a joint effort between all levels of government to discuss this very serious issue and come up with a solution," she said.
