State of emergency declared as Port Elgin area gets slammed by storm, tidal surge

Residents of Port Elgin and the surrounding communities bordering Baie Verte bay sustained extensive damage when a massive winter storm hit the area late Saturday, continuing into the early morning hours of Sunday.

A state of emergency was declared in Port Elgin on Sunday, just as the flood waters from a storm surge which had swamped some areas of the village were receding.

The winter storm dropped some 30 centimetres of snow on southeastern New Brunswick before turning to rain. High winds gusting upwards of 90 kms per hour, combined with moon tides, resulted in a tidal surge several meters high which caused the waters of both the Gaspereau River and Baie Verte to overflow into some areas of Port Elgin.

Massive damage to land and property has also been reported in the surrounding communities along Baie Verte bay where strong tidal currents and ice crashed on shore.

Port Elgin's Emergency Measures Organization coordinator Terry Murphy said Tuesday that a cost value for the damage to the village and its residents is currently being assessed.

"Right now we're still assessing our water and sewage systems. They seem to be working okay but we have to keep assessing the water quality. We didn't lose any fire hydrants but we're looking at our streets to see if there was any damage; so far things are looking alright. We don't see any evidence of undermining of the streets at this point; they look okay," Murphy said.

Damage to residences and businesses in Port Elgin varies from water damage to electrical and structural damage, he added. The fire department is currently contacting village residents and businesses to determine the cost of damage.

"We'll be submitting our report with the cost of damages to the village and its residents to the provincial EMO coordinator who will then present it to John Foran, Minister of Public Safety. The people of this entire area need assistance right now and I hope the government will provide some financial relief," he said.

One resident hit hard by the tidal surge is Port Elgin Fire Chief Steve Alward and his wife Holly who, with their two children, were not at home at the time of the flood.

Alward said Tuesday the family had lost their electricity around 8 p.m. so had gone to visit friends in the area.

"We could see the river had risen but it wasn't extraordinarily high at the time so we left. By the time I got the fire department call that the village was being flooded, at about 10:20 p.m., we were unable to get back to our house because of excessive flooding," he explained.

The Alwards' house basement was flooded, destroying the furnace, water heater, gym equipment and other household items, with the water rising only one centimeter from the first floor. An outbuilding and a new two-storey garage were flooded with more than two feet of water, destroying various machinery and tools including an ATV and ride-on lawnmower.

However, saddest of all for the family was the loss of their purebred Labrador retriever.

"The dog was in a kennel behind the house and we couldn't get to her. The floodwaters moved the kennel and pushed it over onto its side and she was caught in it. Needless to say we're all very upset about it," Alward said.

Another local resident living just outside of the village limits near Fort Monckton, Stanley Silliker barely escaped his flooded home when he managed to climb a nearby tree and, shining his flashlight, caught the attention of a passerby who helped him to escape to safety.

A family of six, including three young children, who were living in a winterized house within a cluster of cottages at nearby Indian Point had to be rescued by boat when the area was completely flooded with several feet of water and ice. Most of the cottages in that area have been totally destroyed.

Although the basements of several Main Street homes and businesses were fully flooded, the hardest hit was Spence's Woodworking, located along the banks of the Gaspereau River at the foot of the wooden walking bridge, which was itself moved several inches.

Water levels in the two Spence buildings, including a wood-frame workshop and a metal storage building, rose to almost four feet, causing extensive damage to many woodworking machines and tools, works in progress and lumber supplies.

Just three kilometers away, the community of Baie Verte was isolated late Saturday night and early Sunday when flood waters rose at either end of the community. Water and large sheets of ice were pushed up onto Route 970, covered the roadway, all but destroying the local park there.

At the southern end of Baie Verte, several home owners sustained much damage when flood waters rose more than two feet. The exterior steps of St. James United Church was torn off and taken out with the receding tide and the basement totally flooded, destroying two new electric furnaces.

All the Baie Verte shores from Bayside to Cape Spear and Cape Tormentine, many cottages and summer homes sustained extensive damage or were totally destroyed by high flood waters.

Although a Port Elgin resident, Murphy and his family own a cottage at Rayworth Beach, about 10 kilometers outside Port Elgin.

"Like many cottages along the beach, ours was pushed off of its foundation and is now on our neighbour's land. I don't know if we'll be able to salvage it or not. There are several cottages on our beach which have been destroyed," Murphy said.

Although most Cape Tormentine residents managed to escape damage, due to high winds and flooding two 100-foot long rows of bait sheds were completely destroyed on the municipal wharf with many fishermen losing various types of fishing equipment stored in the 24 cubicles.

Local fisherman Tony Trenholm said Monday that damages could total more than $250,000 to both area fishermen as well as Small Crafts and Harbours, the government agency who owned and leased the storage facilities.

"The bait sheds were leveled and pieces of the structures are spread out all over the area, in the water and on the shore. Some guys lost nets and other stuff they had stored in their sheds. There was at least $25,000 worth of Fiberglas (fish) storage tanks, a lot of fish trays and equipment. It's a big loss for everyone," Trenholm said.