(Halifax) Four people, including two children, were missing Saturday following flooding caused by torrential rains in the province of Nova Scotia, police said.
The two children were traveling in a vehicle that was submerged and from which three other occupants managed to escape, said a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), adding that searches were underway to find them.
Two other people are missing in similar circumstances, the spokeswoman added. She did not specify the exact location of these two separate incidents, to prevent the public from interfering with the search.
PHOTO DARREN CALABRESE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
A kayaker passes by a building that has been moved by the waters in Halifax.
Nova Scotia is struggling with flash flooding, inaccessible roads and numerous power outages on Saturday after a severe system of severe thunderstorms swept through much of the province on Friday.
Heavy rains fell Friday afternoon in the Halifax area, dumping more than 200 millimeters of water in the areas of Hammonds Plains, Bedford and Lower Sackville. The port city typically receives around 100mm of rain in an average month.
Based on radar estimates and unofficial observations, Environment Canada estimated that some areas may even have received more than 300 mm of rain in 24 hours.
The whole thing caused significant damage in several places. Widespread flooding was reported in Lunenberg County, west of the Halifax area, while in the Hammonds Plains area northwest of the city, flooding caused the shoulders of many roads to collapse.
PHOTO DARREN CALABRESE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
This truck was abandoned in the waters in Halifax.
“Obviously, there are a lot of people who are affected, whether they are damaged houses, people at risk for their safety or even thousands of people who are without electricity,” noted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of an event in the Toronto area.
“With the rains which will continue, it is important to listen to the local authorities who will keep people safe. At the federal level, we are directly involved with our partners at the provincial level. We know there is a lot of work to do together and we will be there,” he promised.
Meanwhile, Halifax-area residents have been warned not to drive on the roads, including several major highways in the area. More than 30 roadblocks are already in place, mainly north and west of Halifax.
PHOTO DARREN CALABRESE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Rainfall warnings remain in effect for central and eastern Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton. 40 to 100 mm of rain are expected by Saturday evening.
“The rain could be intermittent during this episode, but torrential rains at times and a few overlapping thunderstorms could cause much greater amounts of rain in places,” said Environment Canada.
Earlier in the day, an evacuation order had been issued for people living near the St. Croix River in central Nova Scotia, where a dam was in danger of breaking. The advisory was later lifted as the storm moved on.
In some areas, submerged streets remained littered with abandoned vehicles Saturday midday. Halifax RCMP said residents should not leave their homes unless it is an emergency.
Dozens of images shared on social media showed cars driving through deep water. And video from the Windsor Junction area, north of Halifax, showed firefighters standing on the roof of their submerged truck.
At the height of the crisis, more than 70,000 homes and businesses were without power in Nova Scotia, prompting Nova Scotia Power to open its emergency operations center at 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
In the Halifax area, two emergency centers for disaster victims opened on Friday evening. Beaver Bank Community Center and East Dartmouth Community Center will remain open until further notice.