Heavy rain brings flooding to area of N.S. that suffered flood fatalities a year ago

Heavy overnight rain has caused washed out roads and evacuations in an area of Nova Scotia that suffered flood damage and fatalities a year ago.

Emergency alerts were issued overnight Thursday in Digby, Annapolis, Kings and Hants counties, as Environment Canada reported that over 100 mm of rain fell in a few hours, as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl moved through the province.

Some communities in the Annapolis Valley reported receiving up to 110 mm of rain, and residents in Windsor, N.S., were once again pumping out their basements.

Brett Tetanish, the chief of the Brooklyn volunteer fire department, said in an interview that some roads in the West Hants Regional Municipality where four people died last July were again submerged due to shoulders being washed out, while many people have flooded basements.

Tetanish said his crew also assisted the Hantsport volunteer fire department, in the neighbouring county, as they rescued three people whose home was cut off from the road due to floodwaters.

The fire chief said the flooding was far less serious than last year, when over 250 mm of rain fell in just 24 hours on July 20 and 21.

However, he says the psychological impact on the communities is difficult, as it reminds residents of the four deaths including two young children and the evacuation of hundreds of people during flash floods in 2023.