‘It was coming down really hard’: Flash flooding hits east Saint John

After a long stretch of humid but dry weather in southern New Brunswick, there was flash flooding Thursday during the morning commute in parts of east Saint John.

Environment Canada was calling for up to 40 mm of rain throughout the day, but according to city officials, the majority of that fell in about an hour and a half beginning around 8 am.

“The intensity of the rain this morning was considerable and it was coming down really hard, so if it comes down that fast, it can overwhelm the capacity of our systems to drain that away,” says Michael Hugenholtz, the city’s transportation commissioner.

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That’s exactly what happened, as manhole covers in places blew off as a result of flooded storm drains.

City crews barricaded close to 10 areas with as much as two feet of water in places, including parts of Rothesay Avenue, Westmorland Road and McAlister Drive.

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There was no damage resulting from the flooding, but it’s reported at least a couple of vehicles stalled while crossing a flooded area and needed to be towed.

Extra crews were not required to handle the flooding and barricades were all removed by late morning.