Cape Breton pounded by wind, rainstorm

Cape Breton Island was being hit hard by a wind and rainstormWednesday, that began overnight Tuesday.

The community of Dingwall in northern Cape Bretonwas cut off Wednesday morning because the only roadwas flooded, the Emergency Management Office said.

By early afternoon, EMO established a rough back road accessible only by all-terrain or four-wheel drive vehicles in case of a medical emergency in the community of about 600 people.

People in the communities of Dingwall and Bay St. Lawrence are without telephone service. People who have an emergency were being told to go the local fire hall because 911 service isn't working.

The Cabot Trail from Margaree Forks and North East Margaree is shut down because of mud slides.

Sections of East Margaree Road are closed because of flooding, as is a section of Egypt Road in Margaree Valley.

The Margaree and Middle Rivers both overflowed their banks, covering roads and flooding homes.

The sump pump has been going since Tuesday night at Stephen Corbett's place in Middle River. But with water surrounding most of the house and pouring in through a basement window,it's doing little good.

"At 11:30 last night a young fellow stopped in," said Corbett. "We were asleep and we woke up to him knocking and we had a bunch of water coming in the basement."

Down the road in Margaree Forks, a20-foot riverwas pouring across the road, cutting it off.

Theodore Chaisson, who lives inMargaree Forks, said he drove down last night to where the road is blocked in East Margaree, and he was met by a snowplow that was clearing debris from the road.

He said when the snowplow drove through the flooded area of the road, water rose as high as the the cab.

"He said his feet got wet, that's how high the water was," Chaisson said.

In Northeast Margaree, the water was up over the guardrail, he said.

"Before we got to that spot, there was a slide that covered about half the road,"Chaisson said.

Rainfall Warning

"I'm 66 and I never seen it like this before," said Peter Poirier who lives in Margaree Centre. "Bridges all washed out, roadswashed out. Cottages are floating and some of them moved down the road here."

Corson Bridge in Ingonish Harbour has been reopened for emergency vehicles and local traffic only. It was closed earlier because water had flooded the deck.

Officials say they're monitoring water levels and the bridge could be closed again at any time.

Both entrances to the Cabot Trailwere closed for a time because sections of the highwayhad flooded.

Several schools were closed for the day, including:

• North Highlands Elementary School in Dingwall
• Cape Smokey Elementary School in Ingonish
• Cabot High School in Neils Harbour
• Cape Breton Highlands Academy and Education Centre in Margaree Harbour

About 425 customersaround the Margarees have no power.

The Department of Transportation said numerous other roads are flooded in the area, but aren't closed.

Buchanan Memorial Community Health Centre in Neil's Harbour is in another zone hard hit by flooding and road washouts

Greg Boone, spokesman for the Cape Breton District Health Authority, said emergency planning is underway.

"If there are patients who need other levels of care at the regional hospital or at any other facilities, getting them there will be a challenge," said Boone. "However, EHS is there in the community and on standby and they're looking at options, We are working with EMO and EHS to make sure that we can respond if we need to do anything other than look after the patients we have at that health centre."

The Environment Department has issued a rainfall warning for all regions of Cape Breton. A Les Suetes wind warning was in effect for the Cheticamp area, where winds could gust as high as 100 kilometres per hour.

About12,000 people in the Annapolis Valley were still without power Wednesday after high winds and heavy rain overnight Monday,that blew the roof off a seniors' residence, closed Acadia University and shut multiple schools.