snip the elf
August 1st, 2007, 03:53 PM
Chantal has hit us hard.
Here is an arctical:
Post tropical storm Chantal packed a mighty punch bringing heavy rain over the Avalon, Burin, and Bonavista Peninsulas. St. John's got over 96 mm's rain while 150 mm's of rain poured down in the Whitbourne area. Environment Canada says close to 90 mm's of rain was reported in Argentia, 55 mm's in St. Lawrence, and 28 mm's at Cape Race and Bonavista. Wind gusts of 69 km/h were observed at Cape Race while 88 km/h winds were reported unofficially at Cape Pine on the Southern Avalon.
In numerous communities on the southern Avalon travel is restricted to emergency and essential workers only. A state of emergency is in effect in Dunville, Whitbourne, Placentia, Jerseyside, Fox Harbour, Point Verde, Freshwater, St. Brides and Ferndale.
Here's an update now on the roads situation. The TCH near the Long Harbour turnoff is open to two lanes of traffic. It had been closed off for a while this morning before being opened to one lane. Now it's back to two lanes but motorists are asked to use caution because of shoulder washouts. The branch road to Long Harbour and Mount Arlington, Route 202, remains closed until further notice.
Meantime, the Town of Long Harbour has called an emergency meeting for this evening to talk about what to do in light of the storm. They're completely cut off from road links after a raging torrent sliced through the pavement. Mayor Gary Keating says it'll be a day or two before highways crews re-establish the road link.
Three families in the Placentia area were forced from their homes in the wake of post-tropical storm Chantal, and several more homes suffered major structural damage. Mayor Bill Hogan says the families had to get out for their own safety. The Placentia area of the province seems to be one of the hardest hit and remains under a state of emergency. Much of the main road in Dunville remains impassable after major flooding and washouts. Hogan says now town officials have to wrap their minds around assessing the damage and the clean-up effort.
South River is still under a state of emergency - and the water continues to rise in some areas. Taylor's Road is open, but barely, and people may not be able to get through. Other washouts are barricaded and the main highway by Wilson's Store is down to one lane. Salmon Cove Road is still closed.
Cupids has lifted the state of emergency. Mayor Geraldine Curran says driving is still tricky and motorists have to be mindful of the situation. She says that without the volunteer fire department, the town would have been in a disastrous situation.
The mayor of Bay Roberts heard what he wanted to hear from the provincial government this afternoon. Bay Roberts lifted the state of emergency at about lunchtime but there is still concern about the Butlerville bridge. Glenn Littlejohn says residents in the Shearstown area can't recall ever seeing such heavy rain and run-off. The mayor says Premier Danny Williams was in the area today to see first-hand the damage caused by post-tropical storm Chantal.
Port-de-Grave MHA Roland Butler describes the situation residents in the area woke up to this morning as dire. Speaking on VOCM Backtalk with Bill Rowe, Butler says he experienced problems with flooding at his home and thanks the fire departments answered the call for people today. Butler says there are parts of Bay Roberts where lack of proper ditching caused problems when the heavy rain arrived and he hopes future efforts by all sides will help solve the situation so flooding doesn't occur at the same degree like today.
The mayor of Spaniard's Bay says the water system hasn't suffered any damage with today's rapid water run off. Speaking on VOCM Backtalk with Bill Rowe, John Drover says chorine levels are good and there is no cause for concern. Drover thanked town workers and the fire department for their efforts so far. Drover says parts of the town has suffered significant damage - from washed out ditches to large pieces of debris on roads. Drover says there has been damage to side roads but they are passable, while town bridges and infrastructure are holding.
There is some minor damage in St.John's from the onslaught but mostly confined to manholes and road shoulders. The director of public works, Paul Mackey, says pavement buckled on one of the smaller streets in the downtown but overall, the city escaped significant damage. They did have to open the floodgates at Quidi Vidi Lake to allow water to escape . The gates will gradually be closed leading up to the Regatta.
here are some links with pictures:
http://www.vocm.com/viewgallery.asp?id=112
http://www.vocm.com/viewgallery.asp?id=113
Here is an arctical:
Post tropical storm Chantal packed a mighty punch bringing heavy rain over the Avalon, Burin, and Bonavista Peninsulas. St. John's got over 96 mm's rain while 150 mm's of rain poured down in the Whitbourne area. Environment Canada says close to 90 mm's of rain was reported in Argentia, 55 mm's in St. Lawrence, and 28 mm's at Cape Race and Bonavista. Wind gusts of 69 km/h were observed at Cape Race while 88 km/h winds were reported unofficially at Cape Pine on the Southern Avalon.
In numerous communities on the southern Avalon travel is restricted to emergency and essential workers only. A state of emergency is in effect in Dunville, Whitbourne, Placentia, Jerseyside, Fox Harbour, Point Verde, Freshwater, St. Brides and Ferndale.
Here's an update now on the roads situation. The TCH near the Long Harbour turnoff is open to two lanes of traffic. It had been closed off for a while this morning before being opened to one lane. Now it's back to two lanes but motorists are asked to use caution because of shoulder washouts. The branch road to Long Harbour and Mount Arlington, Route 202, remains closed until further notice.
Meantime, the Town of Long Harbour has called an emergency meeting for this evening to talk about what to do in light of the storm. They're completely cut off from road links after a raging torrent sliced through the pavement. Mayor Gary Keating says it'll be a day or two before highways crews re-establish the road link.
Three families in the Placentia area were forced from their homes in the wake of post-tropical storm Chantal, and several more homes suffered major structural damage. Mayor Bill Hogan says the families had to get out for their own safety. The Placentia area of the province seems to be one of the hardest hit and remains under a state of emergency. Much of the main road in Dunville remains impassable after major flooding and washouts. Hogan says now town officials have to wrap their minds around assessing the damage and the clean-up effort.
South River is still under a state of emergency - and the water continues to rise in some areas. Taylor's Road is open, but barely, and people may not be able to get through. Other washouts are barricaded and the main highway by Wilson's Store is down to one lane. Salmon Cove Road is still closed.
Cupids has lifted the state of emergency. Mayor Geraldine Curran says driving is still tricky and motorists have to be mindful of the situation. She says that without the volunteer fire department, the town would have been in a disastrous situation.
The mayor of Bay Roberts heard what he wanted to hear from the provincial government this afternoon. Bay Roberts lifted the state of emergency at about lunchtime but there is still concern about the Butlerville bridge. Glenn Littlejohn says residents in the Shearstown area can't recall ever seeing such heavy rain and run-off. The mayor says Premier Danny Williams was in the area today to see first-hand the damage caused by post-tropical storm Chantal.
Port-de-Grave MHA Roland Butler describes the situation residents in the area woke up to this morning as dire. Speaking on VOCM Backtalk with Bill Rowe, Butler says he experienced problems with flooding at his home and thanks the fire departments answered the call for people today. Butler says there are parts of Bay Roberts where lack of proper ditching caused problems when the heavy rain arrived and he hopes future efforts by all sides will help solve the situation so flooding doesn't occur at the same degree like today.
The mayor of Spaniard's Bay says the water system hasn't suffered any damage with today's rapid water run off. Speaking on VOCM Backtalk with Bill Rowe, John Drover says chorine levels are good and there is no cause for concern. Drover thanked town workers and the fire department for their efforts so far. Drover says parts of the town has suffered significant damage - from washed out ditches to large pieces of debris on roads. Drover says there has been damage to side roads but they are passable, while town bridges and infrastructure are holding.
There is some minor damage in St.John's from the onslaught but mostly confined to manholes and road shoulders. The director of public works, Paul Mackey, says pavement buckled on one of the smaller streets in the downtown but overall, the city escaped significant damage. They did have to open the floodgates at Quidi Vidi Lake to allow water to escape . The gates will gradually be closed leading up to the Regatta.
here are some links with pictures:
http://www.vocm.com/viewgallery.asp?id=112
http://www.vocm.com/viewgallery.asp?id=113