Truro prepares for heavy rains and possible flooding

Truromayor Bill Mills says town staffare doing everything they can to prepare for possible flooding overnight.

With heavy rain in the forecastbetween 20 to 40 millimetres in totaland a significant amount of snow already on the ground, Mills said he's going to be monitoring the situation closely.

Staff are clearing snow in key areasso that runoff flows into streams instead of pooling on roads.

Workers are alsochecking manhole covers, to make sure storm water can drain properly.

Park Street, the road which connects Truro to Bible Hill, is known for flooding this time of year.

The town and county have done "a significant amount of flood mitigation work" over the past two years to prevent flooding, Mills said.

He says the street would typically be closed for three or four days following a major storm. He's hoping to reduce any future closures to 24 hours, at the most.

Mills saidhe willbe watchingpack ice on the Salmon River for any potential for ice jams downriver fromTruro, which could cause some flooding.

Millshopes any flooding will happen, "out on the flood plain where it should be. But in town? That's where we run into a problem."

CBC MeteorologistKalin Mitchell, says heavy rain will develop in southwest Nova Scotia near midnight, and then move across the mainland overnight.

He expects 20 to 40 millimetres of rain in total - and possiblyeven more on the eastern shore and into Cape Breton.