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The damage from a torrential downpour that dumped more than 200 millimetres of rain on parts of Cape Breton is unlike anything local officials have seen before.
“We’ve never experienced anything to this size and effect,” said Terry Doyle, CAO for Port Hawkesbury, N.S. “And certainly, that’s what I’m being told by others as well.”
Doyle spoke Sunday from an emergency response co-ordination centre where representatives from Victoria, Inverness and Richmond counties and the province are gathered. A state of emergency was declared Saturday for those three counties.
Doyle said the bulk of the damage is in Richmond County, around Bras d’Or Lake, where floodwaters have washed out numerous roads, bridges and driveways.
Three counties in Cape Breton have declared local states of emergency due to severe flooding and widespread damage. Some areas got more than 200 millimetres of rain this weekend. The alerts from each county were jointly released on Saturday. The storm washed out roads and caused power outages across the region.
In a media release Sunday, Nova Scotia RCMP said a 46-year-old Cape Breton woman reported missing Saturday morning was found dead later in the day.
Police say the woman’s vehicle was parked near her residence in the Richmond County community of Cleveland, on the far side of a flooded bridge.
First responders carried out a search Saturday and found the body around 2:30 p.m. AT.
RCMP do not consider the death suspicious, though they did not explicitly state the circumstances leading to her death.
Municipal leaders are urging residents to stay home so emergency crews can safely repair infrastructure.
Inverness County Warden Bonny MacIsaac echoed that plea, warning drivers that covered roads may be structurally unstable beneath the water. Anyone who must travel should check provincial road conditions at 511 first, she added.
Widespread washouts have left some residents stranded. Amanda Mombourquette, councillor for Richmond County District 4, expressed concern for vulnerable residents cut off from emergency services and essential groceries.
As of 11:49 a.m. Sunday, Nova Scotia Power’s outage map shows that more than 1,000 customers provincewide are without power, primarily in Chéticamp, down from 5,000 earlier in the day.
Coun. Claude Poirier, who represents Chéticamp on Inverness County council, said Saturday morning most of the community was without power.
He said he wasn’t aware of damage or road closures in the area because of the storm.
Poirier said the local Legion and fire department have opened up comfort centres so people can charge their devices or have a hot cup of coffee or tea.
Cape Breton municipalities have established a toll-free support line at 902-625-7888 for residents to report non-emergency storm issues.
In a statement posted to social media Saturday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the federal government is ready to provide any needed support and is in contact with provincial officials.
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