Canada: Four missing after historic rains trigger flooding
July 23, 2023
Four people are missing after record rainfall and flooding swept through Nova Scotia, Canada, police said Saturday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement that two children were among the four missing individuals after a car was caught in the flood water.
Three other people in the car managed to escape.
In a separate incident, two people were also reported missing under similar circumstances.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government stood ready to assist people in need and told people to stay safe.
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's thirteen provinces and territories and lies on the eastern seaboard of North America.
Heavy rains to continue until Sunday
The storm began on Friday and dumped almost three months of rain — 25 cm or 10 inches — in some parts within 24 hours.
Environment Canada, the government's weather service, predicts torrential rain in the east of the province to continue until Sunday.
"We have a scary, significant situation here," provincial premier Tim Houston warned Saturday.
"The list of infrastructure damages to bridges, roads and other buildings is long... and it will continue to grow," Houson told reporters during a press conference.
"Our community is facing the awful force and unpredictability of nature, and a changing climate," Halifax Mayor Mike Savage told a press conference.
At one point, more than 80,000 people were without power. Authorities declared a state of emergency in Halifax, the province's largest city, and four other locations.
Canadian Broadcasting Corp meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said the rains in Halifax were the heaviest since 1971 when a hurricane brought a similar downpour.
The intense rainfall comes as Canada tackles massive wildfires that have sparked pollution alerts in major cities across Canada and the US.
rm/ab (Reuters, AFP)