A building collapsed from flooding on July 22, 2023 in the Halifax region of eastern Canada. DARREN CALABRESE v AP
Streets and houses flooded, even shifted by the waves, streets cut off… The torrential rains that have swept Nova Scotia, Canada since Friday evening July 21st have caused significant damage. Four people, including two children, were missing in this eastern Canadian province on Saturday, police said.
According to a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the two children were traveling in a vehicle that was submerged and from which three other occupants escaped. A search was conducted to find them.
Two other people are missing in similar circumstances, the spokeswoman added. Two of the passengers of this second vehicle were saved. Nova Scotia had already been hit by fierce fires at the end of May, which also devastated the forests of several other Canadian provinces.
Provincial Premier Tim Houston stressed at a news conference that Nova Scotia received about 250mm of rain in less than 24 hours, the equivalent of three months of rainfall. Mr Houston declared a state of emergency in several areas of the province and urged residents not to get involved in the search for missing people as “conditions remain dangerous”. He estimated it would take several days for the water to recede.
Flooding in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, July 22, 2023. DARREN CALABRESE/AP
Avenues turned into torrents
Images from TV or social networks showed streets or avenues turning into torrents and sometimes real rivers, and many abandoned cars.
The residents of the Windsor region, about sixty kilometers north-west of the provincial capital Halifax, had received an evacuation order from Friday to Saturday because of the risk of a dam breach. But on Saturday morning, valves at the plant could be opened to reduce the pressure. With the situation “under control” according to Windsor Mayor Abraham Zebian, the evacuation order was lifted.
An abandoned car in a shopping mall parking lot in the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, eastern Canada, July 22, 2023. DARREN CALABRESE/AP
In an afternoon update, the Environment Canada Weather Service said the eastern part of the province, particularly the Cape Breton region, was expected to continue experiencing significant rainfall through the end of the day.
Environment Canada notes that the rain “of a tropical nature had a significant impact on parts of the province” and that rainfall “of 25mm per hour” was reported in some areas hit by torrential downpours.
Residents in the province have been told to stay home as many roads are impassable. Around 70,000 Nova Scotia Power customers were without power early on Saturday morning, by the afternoon the number had dropped to 6,000.
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