APTN National News
The sun is out today, but the Mi’kmaq community of Eskasoni in Nova Scotia is reeling after the tail end of Hurricane Matthew brought high winds and heavy rain.
Cape Breton, or Unama’ki, home to five Mi’kmaw communities – bore the brunt of the storm as it passed over the province.
“This morning everything is okay,” said Eskasoni Chief Leroy Denny. “But yesterday was a flash flood. Over 200 millimetres of rain with no warning.”
The normal amount of rain in the Sydney, Cape Breton area is 142 millimetres for the whole month of October. Thanksgiving Monday set a daily record at 227 millimetres of rain. The last time so much rain was recorded at Sydney airport weather station was in 1917.
Chief and Council declared an emergency Monday.
High winds knocked out the power and rivers overflowed, washing out roads on both ends of the reserve. The band has received around 200 calls from people whose houses are flooded.
Denny has spent much of last night and today been meeting with Indigenous Affairs, RCMP, EMO and municipal officials from nearby Sydney, which was also hard hit.
“We have it all under control now,” said Denny. He added that the roads this morning are passable with caution. And he urges people to boil their tap water before drinking it.
Denny said it’s a waiting game for the power to come back on. That’s not expected to happen until Wednesday.
