Eastern Passage still recovering from storm

By Joanne Oostveen - The Weekly News
Residents of Eastern Passage and Cow Bay affected by recent flood damage are being advised to keep track of their expenses.
"I would encourage everyone who had flood damage in the recent event on Jan. 2 to keep track of their expenses and contact my office for future instructions," said Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage MLA Becky Kent. "My office was also flooded out along with Lloyd's Supermarket at Quigley's Corner."
Kent, along with dozens of other residents, were knee deep in water after the storm, and some are still trying to figure out what to do.
The MLA said the province looks to the federal government for this sort of assistance.
"There is a process in place to make sure that residents who were affected have an opportunity to receive assistance if it does in fact come from the federal government," she said.
Kent had to move her office temporarily and is now located at 2 Smith Ave. in Cole Harbour.
Gary Edwards, owner of Lloyd's Supermarket, said the flooding was bad enough that he had to have three freezers repaired, but it could have been a lot worse.
"I saw that the tide was high that morning and plus with the higher winds coming, I knew enough to take things up from the floor," he said. "I was joking around that if I ever have to lay a new foundation here I might as well lay a keel instead and build a boat."
Edwards had to close for a day to clean up the mess, but said everything is now back to normal at the market.
"We have been here since 1956 and have seen a lot of tides," he said. "But with global warming we have seen more in the past few years."
This is the worse flooding the area has experienced since Hurricane Juan in 2003. And those in low-lying areas were the hardest hit.
Woodside-Eastern Passage Coun. Jackie Barkhouse said she received many calls after the storm and was very discouraged to see the damage caused to many homes and the affect that it had on people.
"I was aware we had significant flooding in numerous areas of Eastern Passage and Cow Bay," she said. "But was surprised to hear of the vast problems at the Dyke. It had not been on my radar at all."
People from her area are a proud people, she said, and were reluctant to leave their homes, even though they were faced with incredible damage and were frightened. She said not only should residents be keeping a close eye on weather conditions, but perhaps so should government.
"In the future, we need a plan," said Barkhouse. "And as a municipality we should be aware of the high-risk areas and maybe be prepared to go in and check those living in those areas."
Residents of the Dyke in the Cow Bay area near Rainbow Haven Beach were very close to the point of not being able to leave at all, said Barkhouse.
"When I visited there were water marks up to my thighs and that is significant," she said. "You have to recognize the people have been there a long time and don't want to move. Short of creating infrastructure to hold the sea at bay, what do you do? Financially how do we do that?"
Barkhouse said although she cannot speak for other levels of government and what responsibility they have for this area, she does know that sometimes the provincial and federal governments build seawalls to protect their property.
"HRM does not build seawalls to protect private property, and generally has the responsibility of protecting municipal public infrastructure," she said.
But residents should feel relief that all levels of government and all municipalities in Nova Scotia are working on Climate Change Adaptation activities, said Barkhouse.
"Impact and adaptation issues are entering the decision-making process for policy makers, practitioners and vulnerable communities like ours," she said. "This is very important as we move forward. In fact, we recognize the need to prepare for climate change impacts, and to develop strategies to reduce practices that contribute to global warming."
A Sea Level Rise Report will be forthcoming to council very soon, said Barkhouse. A report that she hopes will contain information that will assist HRM in ensuring that infrastructure is not placed in areas of reoccurring flooding.
"Icebergs are melting, there is less beach area here, there is more erosion and sea levels are rising," said Barkhouse. "And whenever there is a storm it erodes it more."
She said although she knows people want to address the problem of properties immediately, this is a difficult task.
"For residents who have been adversely affected by the recent storm surge, there is no fast and easy solution to the problem of rising sea levels and the impact it has on vulnerable communities such as ours," she said.
"We see over and over again just how dangerous and unforgiving the sea can be. It takes the will of all levels of government, along with partners from the public and private sectors, to prepare for climate change and to reduce global warming."
joanneoostveen@accesswave.ca