Vast floods in Halifax leaves 4 missing and many worried

Four people are missing amid the recent flooding taking place in Halifax.

The flooding started last Friday due to heavy rain. It was reported that between 200 to 250 millimetres of rain came down along the South shore of Nova Scotia, the Halifax area, and the central and western regions of the province.

The water levels have subsided since Sunday; however, it has left devastating damage to surrounding areas, including parts of the CN Railway running to the port of Halifax and roads and bridges that have been washed out.

It was initially reported that three people had been declared missing, but that number has now changed to four. A search and rescue operation is taking place out of the West Hants area to locate two children, one youth and one adult. Searchers have been pumping water from a flooded field to help the search. The Mayor of West Hants Regional Municipality, Abraham Zebian, said the team was pumping over 94,00 litres of water a minute.

Yesterday, RCMP released updates citing that an underwater search revealed an unoccupied pickup truck on Saturday evening. “We’re going to stay positive until we have some closure here.” Said Zebian. It’s suspected to be the pickup truck the children were last seen in. The RCMP is also looking for adults and youth in the same area.

“I am very concerned about the flooding in Nova Scotia. People have seen their homes damaged, people have seen their safety at risk,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his concern for the province.

A province-wide state of emergency was put in place and will remain in effect until August 5 while the province takes steps to recover from the floods. As the community comes together and continues to support one another during this difficult time, the province demonstrates a unified front.