State of emergency declared in 3 Cape Breton counties after storm, flooding
asserted
State → declare → storm
More than 200 mm of rain fell on parts of the island
Wendy Owens Abbott has lived in Richmond County, N.S., her whole life, but she has never seen storm fallout like this.
asserted
she → fall → this
Stranded at her River Bourgeois home by washed-out roads, the manager of the Bras d'Or Lakes Inn in St. Peter's was unable to get to work on Saturday — the very day the inn was hosting a wedding.
asserted
inn → strand → wedding
"Turns out, the crews cannot get to us," Abbott said.
asserted
Abbott → turn → us
"It worries me how the roads in this area are so compromised."
asserted
roads → worry → area
Late Saturday afternoon, a state of local emergency was declared in Inverness, Richmond and Victoria counties due to severe flooding and widespread damage.
asserted
state → declare → flooding
A toll-free municipal support line will open on Sunday at 8 a.m. AT for residents of those counties and the town of Port Hawkesbury to report non-emergency issues.
asserted
residents → open → issues
Inverness County officials said the number—902-625-7888—will be available until 8 p.m.
asserted
officials → say → p.m.
Jeremey Carroll is the co-owner of a vacation rental business in Richmond County called Lakeside Luxury Domes on West Bay Road, about 25 kilometres west of St. Peter's.
asserted
Carroll → call → Peter
Carroll said he heard when the culvert blew out shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday.
asserted
culvert → say → 4
"You could hear the rumble and the pressure of the water," he said.
uncertain
he → hear → water
"We have guests down there ... so it was an interesting morning, for sure."
asserted
it → have → guests
Across Richmond County, where parts recorded up to 250 millimetres of rain by Saturday afternoon, severe damage to local infrastructure has cut off entire neighbourhoods.
asserted
damage → record → neighbourhoods
Warden Lois Landry told CBC News that flooding happened in areas that had never flooded before, leaving emergency crews working to assess destroyed roadways and prioritize repairs.
"There are definitely roads that are impassable and will remain impassable for a bit until we kind of wrap our heads around priorities and how we're going to deal with that infrastructure," Landry said, urging residents to check on neighbours and avoid travel.
asserted
Landry → tell → travel
In Guysborough County, Raymond Morris and his wife, both 86, were stranded in their Sand Point home after two culverts collapsed.
asserted
culverts → strand → home
He said they have been left in a very vulnerable and dangerous position.
asserted
they → say → position
"I've got a cane, and I've got a lifeline here with me, with six stents in my chest....
asserted
I → get → chest
If I had an emergency right now I'd be up a creek and nobody could get to me unless they come by boat," Morris said.
uncertain
Morris → have → boat
His son, Darryl Morris in Halifax, said most people living in Sand Point are seniors.
asserted
people → say → Point
He said the age and state of the culverts have been a concern for years, and it has been brought to the attention of the MLA and others.
asserted
it → say → MLA
On Saturday, MLA Greg Morrow posted on social media that the Department of Public Works was working with the local volunteer fire department "in the event an urgent situation arises."
asserted
situation → post → event
He said "crews will have a temporary solution in place to reopen that section of highway to traffic as soon as possible, but that work can only begin once flood waters recede.
asserted
waters → say → traffic
The physical damage was compounded by broad utility disruptions.
asserted
damage → compound → disruptions
There were as many as 40,000 outages Saturday afternoon, but that number dropped to 7,000 in the evening.
asserted
number → be → evening
CBRM communications said Saturday that the fire department had responded to about 30 calls for flooded basements.
asserted
department → say → basements
According to CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon, periods of rain will continue for the island tonight.
uncertain
periods → accord → island
As the system slowly moves east, Victoria and Cape Breton counties will likely see the highest rainfall overnight with additional totals of 20 to 30 millimetres, and heavier amounts possible locally.
asserted
counties → move → millimetres
Lingering showers on Sunday will bring another widespread two to five millimetres for most areas.
asserted
showers → linger → areas
However, Victoria and Cape Breton counties look set to see another five to 10 millimetres throughout the day.
asserted
counties → set → day
The Aporia
