The town of Channel-Port aux Basques is cut off from the rest of Newfoundland in both directions as heavy rain continues to fall over the area from a heavy storm that started Tuesday.
The province said there are road washouts five kilometres north and two kilometres south south of the community Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, the province’s Department of Transportation reported multiple roads are washed out in the Codroy Valley area, including two parts of the Trans-Canada Highway near Doyles, which connect the region to the rest of the island.
The department reported the following road closures:
Trans-Canada Highway five kilometres southwest of Doyles intersection, both lanes are washed out.
Trans-Canada Highway 16 kilometres southwest of Doyles intersection, one lane washed out.
Trans-Canada Highway 25 kilometres northwest of Port aux Basques.
Route 406-11, Doyles Station Road, an alternate route is available.
Route 413-01, St. Andrews Road, an alternative route is available.
Loch Lomond Road, one lane is closed.
Upper Ferry Road, one lane is closed.
Wade Osmond has major flooding on his property which is situated near a brook in Port aux Basques. (Garrett Barry/CBC)
Environment Canada said Port aux Basques has received 143.4 millimetres of rain as of 11:30 a.m. NT Wednesday.
Roads are also closed in Red Bay in southern Labrador because of washouts. Tracey Road leading to Tracey Hill is closed until further notice, while areas of North Brook Road are damaged but open for the time being.
The town had received 50 millimetres of rain as of 7 a.m. AT, according to officials.
On Wednesday afternoon, Premier Andrew Furey said helicopters are on standby for emergencies, and so far there are no worries about supplies in the community. The province is not considering evacuating any homes yet, but officials and police are asking people to stay off of roadways.
WATCH | Drainage systems are starting to get overwhelmed:
‘Still getting torrential rains,’ N.L. mayor says
4 hours ago
As a powerful rainstorm hammers southwestern Newfoundland, Port aux Basques Mayor Brian Button says drainage systems are starting to get overwhelmed. 4:59
Wade Osmond, who lives in Port aux Basques, woke to discover major flooding on his property that’s located near a brook which he says is ready to burst from the rainfall flowing steadily from a pond above.
“If that breaks, we’re in trouble.”
Osmond also found about 2.5 centimetres of water in his basement and said he’s worried about the rain that’s still to come.
Water levels have risen at the Red Rocks turnoff near Port aux Basques. (Troy Turner/CBC)
More rain to come
Rodney Barney, a meteorologist with Environment Canada’s weather officer in Gander, said the rain intensified early Wednesday morning, as meteorologists expect the system to bring 150 to 200 millimetres of rain to the area in total.
“We’re still looking at another 12 to 18 hours of rain,” he said.
“It looks like through the morning hours is probably when the heaviest part of the shower activity will be occurring for today, then gradually winding down as we go into the afternoon and evening.”
Barney said another 50 to 80 millimetres of rain could fall, with as much as 150 millimetres over high-elevation areas.
Osmond said it’s hard to watch, but noted others in the area have it worse.
“At 6 a.m. this morning I was here, sitting and watching the water rise, watching everything that I worked hard for go down the tubes, down the drain,” he said.
“But it is what it is and we have to deal with it and take it as it comes.”
Ryan Moore was driving his truck along a stretch of road near Doyles when the asphalt beneath him crumbled. The Department of Transportation is reporting multiple washed out roads in the Codroy Valley area, including two parts of the Trans-Canada Highway near Doyles. (Submitted by Ryan Moore)
Winds gusted in excess of 130 km/h in the Wreckhouse area, but diminished slightly Wednesday morning reaching about 90 km/h, Barney said. He said the wind is expected to pick up again later Wednesday morning.
The brunt of the rainfall is confined to the southwest corner of the island, meaning the Port aux Basques area and as far east as La Poile can anticipate the storm to continue to soak the communities.
In a news release, the RCMP said Department of Transportation crews were working in the Codroy Valley areas to assess the damage.
‘All I could hear was pavement cracking’
Ryan Moore, who lives in Doyles, was driving along a stretch of roadway Tuesday night when the asphalt beneath his truck gave way.
“I was kind of in shock. [The] airbags and everything went off and I jumped out,” he said.
“I looked behind me and there was just a black hole behind me … all I could hear was pavement cracking, it was pitch black so I couldn’t really see what was going on.”
Moore said he had actually sold that truck earlier in the day. Now it’s a total write off.
He said he nearly made it across the culvert when it caved in, his front wheel breaking through and bouncing the truck back onto hard ground on the other side.
Areas of the Trans-Canada Highway near Doyles and the Codroy Valley have been washed away due to the storm. Police are asking motorists to stay off the highway between Cape Ray and North Branch due to heavy flooding. (Troy Turner/CBC)
“I’ve been driving that road my entire life and something didn’t look right,” he said.
Moore is safe. He used the phone from a nearby neighbour’s house to call for a ride home. He said a tow truck should be able to remove his now abandoned vehicle from the road early Wednesday morning.
Ferry crossings cancelled
Meanwhile, Marine Atlantic ferry crossings between Port aux Basques and North Sydney, N.S., are cancelled on Wednesday because of the storm, leaving some passengers stranded who are trying to get home.
Jason Caron had been in Newfoundland for the last week, working construction on Walmart stores on the island. With the work completed, he was headed for home, until the ferry cancellations deflated his plan.
“We think maybe Tuesday will be possible, but we’re still waiting on a response from Marine Atlantic,” he said.
According to Marine Atlantic’s website, ferry crossings on Thursday could also be impacted by the storm. The company said the forecast will continue to be monitored and customers will be advised of any schedule changes.
LONGUEUIL, Que. – People in a part of Longueuil, Que., were being asked to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed on Thursday morning after a train derailed, spilling an unknown quantity of hydrogen peroxide.
Police from the city just east of Montreal said it didn’t appear anyone was hurt, although a CN rail official told a news conference that three employees had been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
The derailment happened at around 9 a.m. in the LeMoyne area, near the intersection of St-Louis and St-Georges streets. Mathieu Gaudreault, a spokesman for CN rail, said about eight cars derailed at the Southwark rail facility, including four that toppled over.
“As of this morning, the information we have is it’s hydrogen peroxide that was in the rail car and created the fumes we saw,” he said, adding that there was no risk of fire.
François Boucher, a spokesman for the Longueuil police department, said police were asking people in the area, including students at nearby schools, to stay indoors while experts ensure the air is safe to breathe.
“It is as a preventive measure that we encourage people to really avoid exposing themselves unnecessarily,” he told reporters near the scene.
Police and fire officials were on site, as well as CN railworkers, and a large security perimeter was erected.
Officers were asking people to avoid the sector, and the normally busy Highway 116 was closed in the area. The confinement notice includes everyone within 800 metres of the derailment, officials said, who added that it would be lifted once a team with expertise in dangerous materials has given the green light.
In addition to closing doors and windows, people in the area covered by the notice are asked to close heating, ventilation and air exchange systems, and to stay as far from windows as possible.
Gaudreault said it wasn’t yet clear what caused the derailment. The possibilities include a problem with the track, a problem with a manoeuvre, or a mechanical issue, he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s Liberal party is promising to improve cellphone service and invest in major highways if the party is elected to govern on Nov. 26.
Party leader Zach Churchill says a Liberal government would spend $60 million on building 87 new cellphone towers, which would be in addition to the $66 million the previous Progressive Conservative government committed to similar projects last year.
As well, Churchill confirmed the Liberals want to improve the province’s controlled access highways by adding exits along Highway 104 across the top of the mainland, and building a bypass along Highway 101 near Digby.
Churchill says the Liberals would add $40 million to the province’s $500 million capital budget for highways.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the three major political parties were expected to spend much of today preparing for a televised debate that will be broadcast tonight at 6 p.m. local time.
Churchill will face off against Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston and NDP Leader Claudia Chender during a 90-minute debate that will be carried live on CBC TV and streamed online.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
TORONTO – A group of hotel service workers in Toronto is set to hold a rally today outside the Fairmont Royal York to demand salary increases as hotel costs in the city skyrocket during Taylor Swift’s concerts.
Unite Here Local 75, the union representing 8,000 hospitality workers in the Greater Toronto Area, says Royal York employees have not seen a salary increase since 2021, and have been negotiating a new contract with the hotel since 2022.
The rally comes as the megastar begins her series of six sold-out concerts in Toronto, with the last show scheduled for Nov. 23.
During show weekends, some hotel rooms and short-term rentals in Toronto are priced up to 10 times more than other weekends, with some advertised for as much as $2,000 per night.
The union says hotel workers who will be serving Swifties during her Toronto stops are bargaining for raises to keep up with the rising cost of living.
The union represents hospitality workers including food service employees, room attendants and bell persons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
