Cape Breton man describes efforts to flee flooded home

When Michael Bungay of Sydney, N.S., saw somebody canoeing down the street outside his house on Monday at 11 a.m., he knew the heavy rain that was pounding the province was bad news.

"Things were looking scary at that time, but it was just the beginning," the Hillview Street resident told CBC's Maritime Noon.

By evening, Bungay, his wife and 10-year-old daughter would find themselves wading through chest-deep water to find higher ground.

The Sydney area got about 225 millimetres of rain on Monday, according to unofficial numbers from Environment Canada. The storm is a result of remnants of Hurricane Matthew meeting a system off the coast of the Carolinas.

As the rain continued pouring down, water from the flooded street began inching toward Bungay's house and up his driveway. 

At around 4:30 p.m., he eyed a 1.6-metre hedge at the foot of his driveway. An hour later, it had almost disappeared.

"We had never seen this before," said Bungay.

Water 'was marching up the stairs'

There had been 30 centimetres of water in the basement for most of the day that he battled with two sump pumps. But as water crept up the driveway and toward the house, flooding in the basement intensified.

Bungay said the water "was marching up the stairs" and soon reached the main level of the home.

He called 911 to ask what he and his family should do. They were told to pack a few basic belongings and head to a hill behind their home.

With their belongings held above their heads, the family waded through the smelly water.

"We were waist deep to chest deep in places," said Bungay.

Officials from the fire department soon showed up to retrieve the exhausted family.

Kerri MacCormack also lives on Hillview Street. Throughout the day, she kept an eye on the water level in her basement, but once the water from the street reached her home, the floodgates opened.

"Eventually, it blew all the basement windows out and ... within minutes, it was almost at the top of the stairs," she told CBC's Maritime Noon.

'A horrific loss'

MacCormack and her family packed some bags, rounded up their pets and headed out the door with the expectation the water levels would recede and they'd be back in the home in an hour or two to get some more things.

"That hasn't happened," she said.

The two families are at a local hotel today.

Bungay says he's still in shock about what's transpired. "It's a horrific loss for us," he said.