SYDNEY, N.S. – A destructive and deadly storm has sent shock waves across Cape Breton. Nova Scotia RCMP said a 46-year-old woman from Richmond County, N.S., went missing early Saturday. Her body was later recovered by ground search volunteers and fire crews. In a statement, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston offered his condolences. “Today, Nova Scotians are mourning the loss of a woman who died during the flooding in our province,” said Houston. “My thoughts are with her loved ones and everyone who is grieving this tragic loss.” Nova Scotia Emergency Management Minister Kim Masland called the death “tragic” and “very heartbreaking.” “We want everyone in the community to know that we stand with them,” Masland said. According to Environment Canada, Ingonish Beach received 211 millimetres of rain. Unofficial weather stations reported almost 300 millimetres. CTV News Atlantic chief meteorologist Mitchell said some parts of Cape Breton received a month’s worth of rain in just over two days. As of Sunday night, three Cape Breton counties – Richmond, Inverness and Victoria – remained in a state of emergency. The damage to roadways caused by flash-flooding is severe and some rural areas are still hard to reach. “Our biggest concern now is both the scope of the damage that we know about, and we are concerned about some roadways that might be compromised that we need to get to,” said Richmond County warden Lois Landry. Emergency crews have worked around the clock for three straight days, covering a large area of Cape Breton. “The storm has done extensive damage in the areas that have been affected,” said Masland. “We are asking people to heed the advice of emergency personnel and stay off the roads.” Sydney resident Jacalyn Smith stayed inside for three days, mostly alone, and hoped for the best. “When that rain came down hard, I thought, ‘how am I going to handle this on my own?” said Smith, who did not experience any flooding in her home. At one point, John Duffy’s Sydney backyard was underwater, and the water was mere centimetres from flooding his basement. “It was three-feet high back there,” he said. Duffy usually has four sump pumps, but on Saturday he borrowed two more, and had six pumps on the go at one time for more than 30 hours. “No exaggeration, but there were 24,000 gallons per hour that we were pumping out of this basement,” said Duffy, who was grateful he didn’t lose his power, which kept his pumps working and prevented his entire basement from being submerged, which would have caused thousands of dollars in damage.
