P.E.I. rainstorm causes flooding, road washouts

Residents in western P.E.I. are surveying the damage after heavy rainfall overnight forced the closure of several roads.

According to unofficial data from Environment Canada, Wednesday's rainfall set a new record for North Cape 157.5 mm, up from the previous record of 131.8 mm on Dec. 11, 1973.

In Tignish, 148 mm of rain was recorded.

P.E.I. Potato Board general manager Greg Donald said some growers in the area reported close to 200 mm of rain.

"Obviously that's way more rain than the soil can hold, so it was fortunate that it was really dry so the ground was able to absorb a lot of the moisture, but there is ... standing water and in some of the sprayer tracks, the rows and things like that. So that's not good," he said.

"If it persists and doesn't dry out, it can lead to rot issues with potatoes. So it's early to tell but that would be the concern."

So far there are no reports of major crop damage.

'Better than last winter, but not by much'

A ServiceMaster PEI spokesperson said the company has received about half a dozen calls about flooded basements in the Tignish, Alberton and Palmer Road area.

In most cases, the company said, it was just a few inches of water. Because the ground was quite dry the flooding wasn't too severe.

Several roads in western Prince County roads were closed as a result of the rain early Thursday morning but reopened by the afternoon.

Center Line Road, Route 151, was closed from Roseville to Alma; Marchbank Road near Bloomfield was closed; Jerry Road from Roseville to Howlan was closed; and Harper Road from Tignish to Palmer Road was also closed.

"Good so far, but there is a lot of bad spots you've got to watch out for. Better than last winter, but not by much," said Richard Palmer, a driver with Label Construction.

The century-old Marchbanks Pond dam, which was only reconstructed in recent days after suffering damage from major rain and snow earlier this year, held up despite the deluge. The overflow channel carried flood waters safely away.

"A lot of our structures in the province have been replaced or new in the 50s and 60s, so they're coming of age," saidDarrell Evans, assistant director of capital projects with the Department of Transportation.

"They were designed to a bit of a lesser standard in terms of water flow than would be required today for example, so there's always upgrading to do on all of our assets."

Residents are advised to obey warning signs and respect any bright yellow barricades.

Road condition updates can be found on the government website, or by dialing 511.