Weekend flooding traps family on Bras d’Or shoreline in Richmond County
Severe flooding in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, has caused significant property damage and trapped residents in their homes. Families are facing supply shortages and infrastructure destruction after heavy rainfall caused local waterways to overflow.
Why it matters
This event highlights the increasing vulnerability of coastal and rural communities to extreme weather events linked to climate change.
Instead, over 200 millimetres of rain pounded the Bras d’Or Lake shoreline early in the weekend, causing a local brook to overflow and collapsing roads and bridges on either side of the community.
Trouble began around 4:15 a.m. Saturday when power cut out at the couple's trailer. Butler's husband went outside to inspect the area and returned in a panic.
“He came running in, saying, ‘Get out of bed, get out of bed, we’ve got to go now,’” she recalled. “And I opened the door, looked outside, and the water was up to the second step of our trailer — and this is a very dry area, normally.”
After her husband carried their two dogs to their truck, the couple drove down to the edge of the driveway, but rushing water forced them to wait in the vehicle until daylight.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in