‘It’s up to the window sills’
New Brunswick’s capital is shifting to clean-up mode after extreme flooding, even as downstream communities including the industrial hub of Saint John prepare for unprecedented floodwaters still to come.
Greg MacCallum, director of the province’s Emergency Measures Organization, said his department is “highly recommending” that people in at-risk areas evacuate their homes.
“That’s because of the worsening situation in the south part of the river system. I don’t want people to underestimate the implications of that,” said MacCallum at a media briefing Friday.
“The communities in the southern regions of the province... should expect water levels to reach historic highs - and by historic highs, I mean at or in excess of the known flood of record: 1973.”
The Saint John River hit 5.43 metres above sea level in Saint John Friday, and EMO said it would likely exceed that on Monday when forecasts say it could reach 5.9 metres. Flood stage in that area is 4.2 metres.
By Friday afternoon, the entire ground floor of the Saint John Marina, about 5,000 square ft., was already covered in water.
“Two years ago we purchased it and then we did about $500,000 worth of renovations to the restaurant and the marina building and it is in about 18 inches of water now,” said co-owner and president Dick Hickey.
“It’s up to the window sills in the restaurant.”
Environment Canada was calling for 10 millimetres of rain for Saint John overnight Friday and into Saturday.
The Canadian Red Cross said 309 households - or 747 people have registered to say they have evacuated their homes. There are others who have left but not registered.
The Trans-Canada Highway connecting Fredericton and Moncton remained closed to traffic because flood waters have crossed the four-lane highway in the Jemseg area.
Meanwhile, Emergency Measures officials in Fredericton said it appeared the flood waters on the Saint John River have crested, but warn they will remain high into next week.
Wayne Tallon, the city’s EMO director, said water levels were at 8.0 metres Friday morning - or 1.5 metres above flood stage.
“We anticipate those levels to remain for the next three or four days, simply because the lower basin - all the way to Saint John - is full and exceeding flood levels there,” said Tallon. “Right now, our water has nowhere to go.”
Tallon said the city is starting to shift to clean-up mode.
The flood waters have deposited tonnes of debris, including logs, wood, even household items such as propane tanks, on some city streets, the riverside green space and residential properties.