A Halifax official described the historic amounts of rainfall that landed throughout the region over the weekend as a “one-in-1,000” year occurrence during a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon.
Erica Fleck, director of Emergency Management for the city, said that in addition to wildfires that devastated the region in the spring, the recent flooding has “weakened the city’s infrastructure and ecosystem.”
“We do modelling for the average one-in-10-year storms, we planned for one-in-100 for how we respond, but this one was a one-in-1,000-year event as we ran the modelling … because of the water levels and the issues that we’ve seen,” she said.
Fleck said about 150 residents remain out of their homes due to the floods and have been “sheltering in place” with assistance from the Canadian Red Cross, in addition to “hundreds and hundreds” of people staying with family members.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the municipality said many roads remain “washed out and impassable,” although water is beginning to recede in some areas. A new map was released to provide information on blocked roads and infrastructure damage.
“The flooding is extensive, and crews are doing assessments of roads, buildings and infrastructure,” a release from the municipality read.
“Bridges will require a structural assessment before they can be opened, and water levels must be at normal level to complete those assessments.”
The municipality said information on the repair schedule will be provided once all the damage has been assessed, with “priority areas” to be completed first. The release noted that some repairs could take several days or weeks.
Lucas Pitts, executive director of the Public Works department, said there are currently 278 open service requests to assess and repair damage throughout the municipality.
“We do expect the number of work orders to increase as water levels recede and we’re able to further assess the damage,” he said.
Pitts said his crew’s current focus is reopening “main transportation corridors.”
“Hammonds Plains Road is one we’re working on today, we’ve been working on it for the last couple of days, and we’re hoping to have it opened by mid-Friday,” he said.
On Wednesday morning, it was announced that people in Nova Scotia who had uninsurable losses from the floods were now eligible to apply for disaster financial assistance.
A release from the province said eligible losses include flood damage and damage to uninsurable items like household appliances, such as washers, dryers, and furnaces.
“The program covers up to $200,000 in uninsurable losses per household, small business and not-for-profit organization,” the province said.
Residents can apply online, at their nearest Access Nova Scotia centre, or at an MLA’s office.
Halifax has launched a flooding registry form for people who are unable to leave their properties due to road and culvert damage.
The municipality is continuing to encourage motorcyclists and cyclists to use caution when travelling and avoid driving on the shoulders of the road as many are “compromised” with debris.
Residents are also being reminded to refrain from swimming in flooded areas, as higher levels of bacteria may be present in the water.
“These higher levels can come from a number of sources, including runoff and sewage bypass practices that are used in some areas during flooding events,” the release said.
The East Dartmouth Community Centre, which opened its doors as an evacuation centre for affected residents on Friday, has since closed.
The municipality is now encouraging people with urgent needs to phone 311.
During Wednesday’s briefing, Erica Fleck said 311 staff received nearly 5,000 calls over the weekend.
She also added that Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization that offers support to communities following disasters, will be returning to assist affected residents.
Heavy rain, which began Friday, dumped between 200 and 250 millimetres along Nova Scotia’s South Shore, across the Halifax area and into central and western parts of the province — prompting massive floods in some areas.
Provincial officials said 25 bridges had been affected, with 19 damaged and six destroyed. At least 50 roads or more sustained significant damage.
A provincewide state of emergency declared on Saturday will remain in effect until Aug. 5, and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair approved a request from the province for continued federal assistance on Sunday.
Outside the city, the search continues for a youth who was reported to be missing during the peak of the flooding events on Saturday.
In addition, Nova Scotia RCMP confirmed the body of one of two other missing children was located in Brooklyn, N.S. on Tuesday morning.
Police added that previously unidentified human remains found on a shore late Monday morning in neighbouring Kings County are believed to be those of the second missing child.
The children were among four people reported missing in two separate incidents after vehicles became submerged in floodwaters in the West Hants area Saturday following heavy rainfall.
Officials recovered the body of a 52-year-old man from Brooklyn Monday morning. The youth who is still missing was said to be in the vehicle with the man.
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