Several dozen homes cut off after road washout near Truro

Residents living in a subdivision in Valley, N.S., near Truro,are cut off from the rest of the community after heavy rainfall Saturday washed out a section of their road.

Hillvale Drive is the only road leading into the area that includes several dozen houses. The only way in or out is atrail that is suitable for walking or anATV.

According to Environment Canada, Truro received around80 millimetres Saturday.

'What if we had a fire on this block?' Colchester subdivision residents voice frustration after only exit route washes out

3 months ago

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Hillvale Drive in Valley, N.S. was impassable over the weekend after about 80 millimeters of rain fell on Saturday. The province hoped to have emergency repairs in place by late Sunday.

Nigel Leggett, the chief of the Valley-Kemptownand District Fire Brigade, said the department worked on a plan for possible emergencies once they realized the area was cut off.

"If there was a fire in there, we would not be able to get in there with a fire truck, " said Leggett. "If it had've been a medical call, you would've probably been into portaging somebody out or flying somebody out."

By late Sunday afternoon, Nova Scotia Public Works crews had installed a new culvert, with thehopes of making the road accessible by the end of the day. In an email, the department said repairs have been a challenge because of the volume of water.

Matthew Ward lives in the area. He saidhe drove on the road 20 minutes before it washed out.

He said people have concerns about accessibility to the community in case of emergency.

"The residents here are worried if there's a fire, emergency services, there's issues," Ward said.

"There's actually a school that's on our block.... So, if they're trapped in there or we have any major incidents in this block, there's no way out."

The road that washed awayhas been a safety concern for residents of Hillvale Drivefor some time, according to Ward.He has emails sent to various government departments to alert them to places where the road had deteriorated.

CBCasked Public Works about past requests to fix the culvert, but they did not respond.

Steve Payne also lives in the area. He saidresidents are unhappy the problem wasn't fixed sooner. But he isoptimistic now that repairs are being done.

"Everyone's frustrated, everybody's angry, but we're making the best of it and fingers crossedthis crew that's here on the weekend will be able to get us out of the neighborhood and we'll just be hopeful it's gonna last," said Payne.

Nova Scotia Public Works crews are alsorepairing other areas in Truro that were impacted by the flooding. They say crews are being deployed to repair any reported washouts.

Road shoulders have been washed out on Route 311 in North River, but it is passable, according to 511.

The Town of Digby has alerted people through social mediaabout road closures.

King Street is closed from Church Street to Warwick Street,in addition to Mount Street from Third Avenue to King Street. Shore Road has also been limited to single-lane traffic in some parts.