'Never experienced anything to this size and effect,' official says of Cape Breton storm

The CAO for Port Hawkesbury, N.S., says the damage from a torrential downpour that saw more than 200 millimetres of rain dumped on parts of Cape Breton is unlike anything he's seen before.

"We've never experienced anything to this size and effect," said Terry Doyle. "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 the Bras d'Or Lake, with a significant number of roads, bridges and driveways that are washed out.

Doyle and other municipal officials are asking people to stay at home to allow crews to repair roads.

An RCMP vehicle drives through water from a brook that overflowed on Route 4 near South Side River Bourgeois, Richmond County. (Tom Ayers/CBC)

Inverness County Warden Bonny MacIsaac said many roads are washed out and a lot of trees have fallen in her area.

"There was a lot of floodwaters. Nobody wants to run into anything like that. And we're asking [people] not to drive through flooded roads. You might not see that the road is unstable underneath that," she said Sunday morning.

If people must travel, she said they should check 511, the provincial website providing road conditions, before going out.

Part of the West Bay Road washed out at St. George's Channel, about 25 kilometres west of St. Peter's, N.S. (Tom Ayers/CBC)

The damage from the rainfall includes flooding, power outages and washed-out roads.

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Amanda Mombourquette, councillor for Richmond County District 4, said some residents are stranded due to road closures.

"[We're] very concerned about folks who may be in vulnerable situations who are now stranded from access to things like emergency services or the basics of going to get groceries, that kind of thing," she said. 

• State of emergency declared in 3 Cape Breton counties after storm, flooding

Rainfall warnings are in effect for Victoria and Cape Breton counties, as well as Sydney. Environment Canada says 10 to 20 millimetres of rain are expected from today until Monday morning, with higher amounts possible in some areas.

Some parts of Cape Breton have seen more than 200 millimetres of rainfall since Friday morning. (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

As of 8:30 a.m. AT Sunday, Nova Scotia Power's outage map shows that more than 5,000 customers province-wide are without power, mostly in Chéticamp.

Coun. Claude Poirier, who represents Chéticamp on Inverness County council, said most of the community is without power.

Storm damage on Route 4 in Big Pond, Cape Breton, is shown on Saturday. (Province of Nova Scotia)

He said he wasn't aware of local storm damage or road closures 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.

Municipalities in Cape Breton opened a toll-free support line Sunday — 902-625-7888 — where residents can report non-emergency issues and concerns. 

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