Water levels still high as central Labrador recovers from flooded roads, power outage
Water Levels closed one road in Happy Valley-Goose Bay town limits on Monday
The spring melt kept water levels high in Happy Valley-Goose Bay Monday, and the town has shut down the Birch Island road where water can be seen spilling onto the side just after the bridge.
Water levels came up as high as some of the boardwalks installed in the protected wetland area. The Town said the road will remain closed until further notice.
Water overflowing on to Birch Island road in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hvgb?src=hash">#hvgb</a> - it's closed until further notice <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcnl?src=hash">#cbcnl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbclabrador?src=hash">#cbclabrador</a> <a href="https://t.co/QanxlphC0l">pic.twitter.com/QanxlphC0l</a>
—@JacobBarkerCBCThis after a chaotic weekend in which the communities of North West River and Sheshatshiu were cut off from road access and power.
"The highway closure definitely caused the most problems, the power outage just kind of complicated that issue," North West River Mayor Derek Montague told CBC News.
"Given the fact that we were hit with so many situations at once, it went as smooth as you can imagine."
- North West River Road reopened, communities reconnected
- Highway to North West River closed due to flooding
Montague said he was happy with the response from provincial services, getting the clinic open for medical care and using a helicopter for emergencies.
Work was still being done Monday to repair damage to Route 520 Monday, where shoulders of the road had been washed away.
The shoulder which was completely washed away on highway 520 to North West River over the weekend was back this morning. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcnl?src=hash">#cbcnl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CBCLabrador">@CBCLabrador</a> <a href="https://t.co/mVgvfRIqao">pic.twitter.com/mVgvfRIqao</a>
—@JacobBarkerCBCCommunication breakdown
All of central Labrador was affected by the power outage which NL Hydro said was caused by a broken cross arm on the transmission line from Churchill Falls to Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
"We are still investigating the cause of why they did fail. Was it vandalism? Was it age?" NL Hyrdro Vice President of Production Jennifer Williams said.
A 25 year old gas turbine backup generator in Happy Valley-Goose Bay was unavailable because of an oil leak.
Williams said the generator is scheduled to be repaired through the summer and NL Hydro is also applying to the Public Utilities Board to do upgrades this year instead of in two years time.
"You are running a risk when you don't have a backup generator or an emergency electrical plan for when the power goes out," Montague said.
"The main way of communicating now is through the Internet and through the computer," he added.
"But if the power's out and people don't have data on their cell phones, they can't be charged and if they can't have access to their Internet or laptops at home then how do you get messages across?"
Montague said the town was able to use generators to power the its water and sewage lifts.
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