Hoyt, other areas in southern N.B., hit hard by storm

It's no small task to repair the damage done to Hoyt's roads, but work is underway to do just that.

Residents of Hoyt were stranded in the wake of Thursday's storm, and some remained trapped until water levels decrease.

Howard Morrison has a lot to clean up. He blames a lack of maintenance on the drainage system for all the dirt and rocks that were swept onto his land. 

"All because of no ditch. But there's a big ditch there now … I feel that we're being neglected. Our highway department ain't worth shit, they draw their pay and they hide. In my estimation, you never see them out."

Morrison got to voice his frustration directly to the Public Safety Minister Stephen Horsman who was touring the area. 

Horsman responded, "There's a lot of factors, the number one factor is the amount of rain that came down within 24 hours. What's in the ditches, look I can't comment on that because I don't know."

There's no word yet as to how much repairs to roads will cost. 

Many rural roads were closed on Friday or remain under water after torrential rain drenched New Brunswick this week, according to the Department of Transportation. The province is urging drivers to remain vigilant while travelling.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Roger Melanson toured parts of central and southern New Brunswick on Friday.  

Some of those areas received more than 160 millimetres of rain, leaving infrastructure in the southern part of the province in tatters. 

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Melanson said the provincial government is working to get roads and bridges repaired "as soon as humanely possible." 

"I've given the marching orders to my staff that if we need, and we do need, equipment from the private sector to go out and make the situation as safe as possible in the early stage that they can go out and hire equipment and get the job done," he said in an interview on Information Morning Saint John on Friday.

Melanson says the provincial government's Emergency Measures Organization is co-ordinating the response, with the most dangerous situations being addressed first.

"Let's not worry how this is going to be paid for, we want to make sure that … where there's emergencies we can help these people … and that's the priority right now," he said.

The provincial government will work with municipalities and the private sector to make repairs as quickly as possible, regardless of the cost.

"You can't budget for this — if you look at last year's fiscal — with two storms there as unforeseen expenditure of $20 million," Melanson said.

NB Newsmaker October 1: Roger Melanson

9 years ago

Duration 5:13

Storm wipes out bridges and roads across southern NB

Storms more frequent

The infrastructure minister said this is the third storm in the last 18 months to cause significant damage to roads and other transportation infrastructure.

"The fact of the matter is that Mother Nature doesn't give us a heads up … but we still have a responsibility to react and to fix the damage that's been done because it's essential infrastructure for everybody to use every day," he said.

The provincial government will not decide whether a disaster assistance program is needed until all of the damage has been assessed.

In the meantime, Melanson said says people should keep records of any damage to their personal property.

"If a program is brought forward then we'll be able to help them out and assist … them financially," Melanson said.

Roads and highways in the Saint John and surrounding areas took a hard hit, with dozens of roads, or sections of roads, flooded, washed out or closed entirely.

In several cases roads will be closed indefinitely according to the Department of Transportation's website.