Nova Scotia wrestles with consequences of devastating floods

July 23 (Reuters) – The province of Nova Scotia, on Canada’s east coast, began cleaning up on Sunday after torrential rains caused devastating flooding, as the search continued for four people, including two children, who went missing during the deluge.

The storm, which began Friday, dumped more than 10 inches (25 cm) in places in just 24 hours, as much as it normally falls in three months. CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said it was the most rain in the provincial capital, Halifax, since Hurricane Beth in 1971.

The floods washed out roads, inundated buildings and damaged bridges and a track on the Canadian National Railway. (CNR.TO) used to access Canada’s fourth largest port.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston described the damage as unimaginable, saying the cost would likely be “hundreds of millions” of dollars.

Nova Scotia declared a province-wide state of emergency Saturday night that will last until August 5.

Two children went missing near Halifax after the car they were in submerged. In another incident, a man and a young man went missing after their car plunged into deep water.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Sunday that police divers had located an empty van in a flooded field in the West Hants area near Halifax in an underwater search and believed it to be the vehicle the two children were traveling in.

Search efforts continued in the same area for the other vehicle and the four people. The teams used industrial pumping equipment to try to lower the water level in the search area.

“There is no visibility in that field. Our dive team located the truck by touch,” said Corporal Guillaume Tremblay, RCMP public information officer.

At a news conference Sunday afternoon, Houston urged people to stay away from the search area given the treacherous conditions.

Throughout the province, 19 bridges were damaged, another six were completely destroyed, and many roads remained closed. Up to 600 people remained under evacuation orders.

“Water levels are still high in many affected areas, but they are starting to recede. The main risks right now are our transportation challenges,” Houston said. “It is incredible to see the force of the water and the impact it has had.”

Houston also said there was “extensive damage” to a section of CN Rail track used by freight trains heading to the port of Halifax, contributing about C$4.4 billion ($3.33 billion) to Nova Scotia’s annual economic output.

A CN spokesman said some repairs would be delayed until water levels subsided. “Once crews can safely complete their work, the track will reopen,” spokesman Jonathan Abecassis said in a statement.

Nova Scotia Power’s outage map showed just over 2,000 customers were without power Sunday, up from 80,000 at the height of the storms.

The flooding was the latest weather-related calamity to hit Canada this year. Wildfires have set a record size and sent clouds of smoke across the United States. Earlier this month, heavy rains caused flooding in several states in the eastern United States.

($1 = 1.3222 Canadian dollars)

Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; Edited by Andrea Ricci and Cynthia Osterman

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.