Residents forced to evacuate Antigonish trailer park by boat amid flooding
Photo credit: Amanda Lawrence
About 70 people have been evacuated from their homes or asked to shelter-in-place after heavy rain Tuesday led to flash flooding around a park containing about 40 mobile homes in Antigonish. At the request of the Town of Antigonish, Canadian Red Cross volunteers arranged rooms and meals in area hotels for 33 people evacuated from the Indian Garden trailer park off Maclellan Street. Those 33 and 36 others who either remained in their homes or went to stay with relatives or friends may receive additional assistance once flooding recedes and it’s safe to assess damage and additional emergency needs. The Town of Antigonish plans to provide updates today on any further assistance to displaced residents. The rain also caused part of Highway 245 to wash out in Maryvale and left some students at the H.M. MacDonald Elementary School temporarily stuck at school.
In the local area:
- Pictou: Strathglass rd is closed due to a washout until further notice. There is no detour in place at this time
- John Munroe Rd is closed until further notice due to a washout.
Nova Scotia’s emergency management office issued an emergency alert late last night asking residents in Inverness and Victoria counties to avoid travel because it’s not safe due to flooding, and roads that are washed out or have significant damage. Victoria County did declare a state of emergency yesterday, asking residents to shelter in place until further notice. Crews with Provincial Public Works have been out assessing roads and bridges for safety, and residents are being asked in Inverness and Victoria Counties to stay off the roads to let the crews do their work. Some areas of the province received as much as 175 millimetres of rain by early last night. Nova Scotia Power has been reporting multiple power outages in those areas as well this morning, affecting thousands of customers.
Death of 53-year-old man in Truro ruled a homicide
Truro Police are now able to confirm the victim of the recent homicide. 53-year old Troy Douglas Whidden was found unresponsive at his home on Arthur St in Truro on Sunday. Police say their investigation is continuing and anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact the Truro Police Service Criminal Investigation Division or Crimestoppers.
N.S. reports 29 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday
Nova Scotia is reporting 29 new cases of COVID-19 — including another case in an outbreak at a long-term care home in Pugwash linked to a religious gathering. The latest case involving a staff member brings the total testing positive for COVID-19 at East Cumberland Lodge to 32 residents and 11 staff members, including three residents who have died. But the number of active cases in the province has fallen to 184 due to 37 recoveries. There are 18 people hospitalized with COVID-19, including six in intensive care. Premier Tim Houston and Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, will provide a COVID-19 update today, November 24, at 11 a.m. The update will be livestreamed on https://novascotia.ca/stayinformed/webcast
Nova Scotia auditor questions province ceding control of COVID-19 relief program
Nova Scotia’s auditor general is questioning the provincial government’s decision to cede control of 100-million dollars in COVID-19 relief funding to Dalhousie University. In a report released Tuesday, Kim Adair commends the province for quickly establishing relief funds to help individuals and businesses impacted by the pandemic. But she says giving Dalhousie a 100-million dollar contract to administer some programs meant the province was no longer able to redirect money if all the funding was not needed. Adair says more than half of the funding is either unallocated or relates to loan guarantees and her office is concerned that unspent funds will never return to the province. (The Canadian Press)
Traffic note from the town of New Glasgow
The Town of New Glasgow is advising that construction for an active transportation crossing at the Pioneer and Johnny Miles Memorial trailheads will begin on East River Road on Thursday. The work will take approximately 4 weeks to complete. Traffic in the construction zone will be narrowed to one lane in each direction.
