Cleanup continues in Nova Scotia after massive multi-day winter storm
Businesses, offices, schools remain closed in hard-hit Cape Breton Regional Municipality
Schools, offices and non-essential businesses remained closed Tuesday in hard-hit Cape Breton as crews attempted to make headway clearing snow-covered streets following a historic multi-day storm that pummelled parts of Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Regional Municipality is under a local state of emergency after the low-pressure system dumped 150 centimetres of snow in some areas. Other communities from Halifax to the island were hit with anywhere from 40 to 100 centimetres.
Premier Tim Houston has warned it could be days before some rural roads are cleared, but help was on its way from New Brunswick and P.E.I. He also reached out to the federal government for help.
In a news release, Ottawa said it is providing snow clearing equipment from Cape Breton Highlands National Park, and the Canadian Coast Guard will provide air transportation to help with the delivery of critical supplies and evacuation of isolated and at-risk people.
There were only about 1,000 Nova Scotia Power customers still in the dark Tuesday morning, but some restoration times were not until Wednesday afternoon.
Cape Breton Regional Police Const. Gary Fraser said Tuesday the main roads in CBRM were mostly clear and passable, while some side roads were starting to open up.
He said people should stay off the roads, unless they absolutely must travel.
"We're getting calls for drives, to and from hospitals and other businesses, by employees," Fraser told CBC's Information Morning Cape Breton. "We have to stress that we can't transport people to and from their place of business and tie up our resources."
Guy Deveau, executive director of maintenance and operations with the provincial Department of Public Works, said most roads cleared by provincial plows would be open later Tuesday or Wednesday morning.
However, it might be Friday before isolated, gravel roads are plowed.
"A road with significant drifting can take a lot more time than expected," Deveau told Information Morning Cape Breton.
Fuel shortage
John Phalen, CBRM's manager of public works, said some gas stations in the Sydney area were running out of fuel.
He said the bulk plant where the municipality gets its diesel from has been closed since Friday.
"We've got some fuel that's in storage that we're using, but that's all being depleted now," he told Information Morning Cape Breton. "We're using a lot of fuel for this operation."
Provincial government offices in Inverness and Victoria counties and Cape Breton Regional Municipality were closed Tuesday, as well as the Cape Breton University campus.
There were also a number of impacts to health services in the northern and eastern zones.
CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said the low-pressure system that arrived in the region Friday had yet to make its exit Tuesday, but its impacts would continue to ease.
There was a chance of flurries in many parts of the province Tuesday, but no more than two centimetres of snow was expected.
With files from Information Morning Cape Breton, Information
