Emergency crews quick to respond to floods

By Christy Marsters

Floodwater rose onto roadways and people were put on evacuation alert April 3-4.

A combination of heavy rains, high tides and warmer temperatures caused flooding conditions along the Avon River system, as higher than normal water level had rose in Hants County, causing concerns in Hantsport, Windsor and West Hants.

Albert Bahri, Regional Emergency Management coordinator for the Hantsport, West Hants and Windsor areas, said the local fire departments and RCMP patrolled these areas during the floods and restricted access to all potentially dangerous places.

The greatest concern was public safety, so people in flooded areas were informed of the possibility of having to evacuate, Bahri said. “Public Works crews also assisted with road closers and worked hard to repair damaged roads.”

Exit 8 into Hantsport on Highway 101 was closed to traffic during the flood. Detours were set on Rocks Road in St. Croix, and Ashland Road, in Martock. People were displaced from homes by the localized threat of flooding along the Mill Section of the Avon River. The EMO was opened in Hantsport and comfort stations were opened in both Vaughan and Windsor for anyone inconvenienced by the floodwater.

The hardest thing to predict is the amount of precipitation a storm may bring and this was true on April 3-4, Bahri said. “The amount of rain was much greater than predicted.”

The public needs to be aware of locations within these areas, which are sometimes prone to flooding, and take directions from emergency services personnel should a flood occur, Bahri added. “Public service announcements come from our REMO on a regular basis during any emergency. We have plans in place to react to such events.”

Windsor Mayor Paul Beazley said he was extremely impressed with the emergency response efforts during the flood. “We’ve got a very professional EMO organization and I have all the confidence in the world these situations are being managed to the greatest means possible. It’s no more worrisome than any other spring season past.”

However, it’s important to prepare for higher than average tides to come and plans have already been discussed to increase the heights of the causeway with twinning of the 101, Beazley said. “Also, one of my personal concerns was for the Canoe Club.”

With the Canoe Club being at the lowest point along the waterfront, the floodwaters rose up to about 4-5 feet from touching the foundation, Beazley noted. “I went down to the shores and kept an eye on the waters every half an hour, and we were ready to start pulling boats out (from the lower racks of the boathouse floor) if we had to.”

Hants West Warden Richard Dauphinee said there was also some concern the water could’ve gone over the causeway, but power dams were used to dump excess water back into the ocean.

The public can take comfort knowing there are many people working behind the scenes in these situations, Dauphinee said. “Hantsport, Windsor and West Hants have all joined together and it works very well…. we help each other in these cases.” “I think everything was handled well,” Dauphinee said. “If it’d have kept raining, we would’ve had a bigger problem. But, anytime you don’t lose a life, it’s a success.”

Hantsport Mayor Wayne Folker said he’s always in awe of the amount of water that builds up, but points out that this has happened before. “This time the waters subsided in a 24 hour period. It was a concern but not a huge issue. There wasn’t much we could do.”

Emergency response personnel were on hand to cover the Mt. Denson area in the event of an emergency. The only means of accessing the town after the bridge closure was through Exit 8A or the Bog Road. “It’s (the bridge) only closed when we think something’s going to happen to it,” said Folker.

In the future, it’ll be important to work with the provincial government to elevate Exit 8, Schurman Road and the truck route (still in negotiation for construction), Folker added. “But, I’m happy with the flood reports. REMO officers did an excellent job.”