[1/9]CN Rail’s main line, leading to the Port of Halifax, is suspended over a washed-out culvert after the heaviest rain in the Atlantic Canadian province of Nova Scotia in more than 50 years caused flooding July 23, 2023 in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada. Portal/John Morris
July 23 (Portal) – Canada’s east coast province of Nova Scotia began clean-up efforts on Sunday after torrential rain caused devastating floods, while the search continues for four people, including two children, who went missing during the flooding.
The storm, which began Friday, dropped more than 10 inches (25 cm) in some locations in just 24 hours — as much as normally falls in three months. CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said it was the most rain to hit the provincial capital, Halifax, since Hurricane Beth in 1971.
The flooding washed away roads, submerged buildings and damaged bridges, as well as a Canadian National Railway (CNR.TO) route that formerly provided access to Canada’s fourth busiest port.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston called the damage unimaginable and said the cost would likely be “hundreds of millions” of dollars.
Nova Scotia declared a nationwide state of emergency late Saturday night, which will last through August 5.
Two children went missing near Halifax after the car they were in went underground. In another incident, a man and a youth went missing after their car drove into deep water.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Sunday police divers during an underwater search found an empty pickup truck in a flooded field in the West Hants area of Halifax, near Halifax, and suspected it was the vehicle in which the two children were traveling.
The search for the other vehicle and all four people continued in the same area. The emergency services tried to lower the water level in the search area with industrial pumping equipment.
“There is no visibility in this area. Our dive team located the truck by feel,” said Corporal Guillaume Tremblay, RCMP public relations officer.
At a news conference Sunday afternoon, Houston urged people to stay away from the search area given the treacherous conditions.
Across the province, 19 bridges were damaged, another six were completely destroyed, and many roads remained closed. Up to 600 people were still under evacuation orders.
“Water levels are still high in many affected areas, but they are beginning to fall. The biggest risks right now are in our transportation issues,” Houston said. “It’s incredible to see the power of the water and the impact it has had.”
Houston also said that a section of the CN Rail line used by freight trains bound for the Port of Halifax suffered “significant damage,” contributing about CA$4.4 billion (US$3.33 billion) to Nova Scotia’s annual economic output.
A CN spokesman said some repairs would be delayed until water levels went down. “Once the teams can safely complete their work, the track will reopen,” spokesman Jonathan Abecassis said in a statement.
Nova Scotia Power’s outage map showed just over 2,000 customers without power on Sunday, down from around 80,000 at the height of the storms.
The flooding was the latest weather-related disaster to hit Canada this year. Wildfires have set a record size, sending plumes of smoke across the United States. Earlier in the month, heavy rains caused flooding in several eastern US states.
($1 = 1.3222 Canadian dollars)
Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; Edited by Andrea Ricci and Cynthia Osterman
Our standards: The Thomson Portal Trust Principles.