Wendy Owens Abbott has lived in Richmond County her whole life, but she has never seen storm fallout like 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.
“Turns out, the crews cannot get to us,” Abbott said. “It worries me how the roads in this area are so compromised.”
Despite being isolated, Abbott stayed in constant touch with the venue and the couple.
“I’m staying in communication with the bride — she seems OK as long as we are OK,” Abbott said. “I have all confidence in the staff who made it in to make this a memorable experience. I just feel bad that they are short-staffed.”
Abbott said some wedding guests may not be able to make it to the wedding because of the roads, but the wedding will proceed regardless.
An artist herself, Abbott added that the irony of her album title, The Storm, was not lost on her. She has since spoken with Richmond MLA Trevor Boudreau and Nova Scotia Liberal leadership candidate Amanda Mombourquette.
Jeremey Carroll, co-owner of a nearby vacation rental business called Lakeside Luxury Domes on West Bay Road, said he heard when the culvert blew out shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday.
“You could hear the rumble and the pressure of the water,” he said. ” We have guests down there … so it was an interesting morning for sure.”
Carroll noted that the same culvert blew out four years ago, though guests in the domes and their vehicles were unaffected.
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.
Warden Lois Landry told CBC News that flooding hit 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.
In Guysborough County, Raymond Morris and his wife, both 86, were stranded in their Sand Point home after two culverts collapsed.
He said they have been left in a very vulnerable and dangerous position.
“I’ve got a cane, and I’ve got a lifeline here with me, with six stents in my 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.
His son, Darryl Morris in Halifax, said most people living in Sand Point are seniors.
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.
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.”
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.”
The physical damage was compounded by broad utility disruptions. As of 4:20 p.m. Saturday, more than 38,000 Nova Scotia Power customers were without electricity.
CBRM communications said Saturday that the fire department had responded to about 30 calls for flooded basements.
According to CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon, up to 15 additional millimetres of rain is expected Saturday night, with higher local amounts possible in Victoria County and coastal Cape Breton. Winds and rain are expected to ease on Sunday.
Late Saturday afternoon, a state of local emergency was declared in Inverness, Richmond and Victoria counties due to severe flooding and widespread damage.
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