Flooding in Truro area; portion of East Mountain Road washed out

UPDATE 12:30 p.m. – More emergency efforts are being put in place to deal with massive local flooding.

Truro police confirmed with the Truro Daily News at 12:30 p.m. that Red Cross officials will be setting up at Immanuel Baptist Church in Truro shortly.

Sections of Lorne and Queen streets were being shut down and the dike that runs past Cobequid Educational Centre in behind Stanfields and to the Park Street bridge has given away.

Also, reports indicate the ramps coming into Robie Street from the highway are being shut down.

In addition, all volunteer firefighters were called into their respective stations at about noon.

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TRURO – An emergency measures meeting is now underway to assess the major flooding conditions throughout Colchester County today.

Robert Levine, the county’s Emergency Measures Organization co-ordinator, told the Truro Daily News just before 11 a.m. that emergency crews were planning to meet at about noon to further assess the county-wide situation. An update from EMO is expected shortly after the meeting.

Levine said extensive flooding is hitting a wide area and of particular concern is the area of Farnham Road outside Truro where people were being evacuated from a mobile home park. There were other "isolated evacuations" in other parts of the region “at the homeowners’ request”, Levine said.

There are a number of road closures, such as Park Street; the Bible Hill Subway between Truro and Bible Hill; the 311 in North River, north of Grant's Grocery; Salmon River Road between Eddy Group and the Cheese Factory; a section of West North River Road; and Brookside Road.

There’s also a lot of flooding on roads that haven't been closed, including East Prince Street, parts of Robie Street, the corner of Young and Brunswick streets, Highway 2 in Hilden, and roads in and around Shubenacadie.

The Fundy Trail Mall parking lot in Lower Truro is largely under water and barricades have been erected to keep additional traffic out.

Classes at the Cobequid Educational Centre (CEC) have been cancelled for the remainder of the day due to the threat of imminent flooding of the school. Buses began arriving at 10:30 a.m. to take students home. Walking students are also being dismissed at this time. Questions about busing may be directed to the Truro Bus Garage at 897-5767.

Washouts are the big concern, with a number of people losing their driveways, and shoulders on many low-lying roads completely washed out.

Truro Police Service’s Inspector Rob Hearn told this paper that as of 11 a.m. there were no accidents reported in Truro.

The flooding, he said, was "due to the amount of rain we have coming down and apparently the high tide.” Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings for the entire province this morning as tropical storm Leslie moves up from the south. Mainland Nova Scotia is expected to be hit with up to 100 millimetres of rain.

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