Woman writes book about her daughter who died in Nova Scotia flood

Nova Scotia woman Courtney Harnish says writing about her daughter who died in a devastating flood helped her heal and inspired her new book.

It’s been about two and a half years since Courtney Harnish lost her 6-year-old daughter Natalie in the devastating flood that hit Brooklyn, N.S., in July 2023.

“It was terrifying,” says Courtney.

“I had Christian, my son — who was two and a half at the time — in my arms trying to keep him above water and knowing that we couldn’t get back to her and not knowing where she was and what was happening and just screaming for her and not hearing her.

“It was the worst night of my life.”

Courtney describes Natalie as a sweet, loving girl who was full of energy and loved cheerleading and playing with her brother.

“She loved everybody and had a heart of gold,” she says.

Courtney says her family lost everything in the flood. Their house, their dog Molly and, most devastating, their daughter, who was one of four people who died when the floods hit Nova Scotia on July 22, 2023.

“The 21st was when the rain all hit,” says Courtney. “I can remember being at work and seeing all the lightning, and I loved thunder and lighting. Seeing all those bright bolts and I remember telling my coworkers, ‘Oh, it’s beautiful,’ but overnight that night, the 22^nd, it became less beautiful.”

Courtney says the night started when their neighbour called to check if they were OK. She says when they woke up, there was water in the house, and it kept rising while she and her husband packed the kids to go to her parents.

“I mean like it took us like five minutes,” she says. “The water was up to knee-high by then, and we get outside and it’s higher.”

The flood eventually swept their house off its foundation.

Courtney says she started seeing two therapists after Natalie died — one with her husband and the other on her own. Writing was part of her therapy. She started with journaling but learned she liked telling stories more.

“I needed to be telling a story as opposed to ‘dear diary’ kind of writing,” Courtney says. “Then I started writing about the flood… and I could write every detail of it too, but it kept me in a bad place.”

Courtney says she started writing about happy memories of her daughter because it helped her heal. She says one summer they went to Oaklawn Farm Zoo in Aylesford, N.S., more than a dozen times and Natalie’s favourite animal was a black bear named Blueberry who they would watch for hours.

Those memories inspired Courtney to write her first children’s book, “The Adventures of Natalie Hazel: A Trip to the Zoo.” She says she wants her daughter to be known for who she was, and the book helps share that.

“Outside of the family and people that really knew her, when you think of her, you think about the flood,” says Courtney. “That’s not her. I know it’s a big part of what happened to her, but she was a lot more than that. She was an amazing girl. She was a firecracker.”

Courtney says she’s read the book to her other children, four-year-old Christian and newborn baby Charlie, and she reads it to herself sometimes. She says reading it makes her happy, but it also brings up difficult emotions.

"The Adventures of Natalie Hazel: A Trip to the Zoo" is available on Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from sales will go to the Natalie Hazel Harnish Spirit Award that Courtney and her husband set up in Natalie’s name at her former cheer club.

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