Government of New Brunswick
Moncton
Sackville
Wood Point
Frosty Hollow
Dorchester
Sussex
Memramcook
Dieppe
Miramichi
Saint John
Cape Tormentine
Riverview
Heavy rain
High tides
$160,000.00

Affected Areas


General: The communities of Saint John, Sussex, Moncton, Sackville, and Cape Tormentine sustained major flooding at numerous locations due to the heavy rainfall. There was less severe flooding in the Miramichi area at a few locations. Northwestern Nova Scotia was hit with severe flooding. Early estimates of damage to roads alone in Cumberland County were $3 million, after the worst flooding in 30 years. Two bridges and dozens of sections of roads were washed away. About 70% of the town of Oxford was inundated. Moncton Area: Record 150 mm of rain fell between September 22and the 23rd, with a return period of 100 years. Some 27 homes were evacuated from the Westbrook Circle area off Berry Mills Road, and from a residential area off West Main Street (15 from West Brook Circle itself. Of the 15, only one may be covered by flood insurance). Flood waters rose to ceiling of basement or onto the first floor of the worst hit homes. Basements were flooded on McWiliam Lane as well. Businesses were closed at West Main Plaza due to flooding of strip mall by the Jones Lake as a result of overflow from Jonathon Creek. The underpass on north side of the causeway between Moncton and Riverview was closed due to flooding. The fire station on St. George Boulevard was also hit by flooding, with losses estimated at $50 000 to $60 000. The floodwaters damaged technical equipment, emergency medical supplies, and the ground floor training area. The floor was reported to be covered with approximately A metre and a half of water. Other streets where flooding occurred, included Mount Royal Street, McLaughlin Road, St. George Boulevard, Elmwood Avenue, Gorge Road, and Mapleton Drive. Mapleton Drive was closed for a limited time on September 23, but re-opened the next day. West Main Street remained flooded throughout September 23 and the 24th and it was reported that it would need to be examined for structural damage before it could be re-opened. Horsman Road was reported to have sustained serious structural damage and could take several weeks before it was -re-opened. The Red Cross set up emergency shelter to provide some relief for the flood victims. In Dieppe, a stretch of Champlain Street and Melanson Settlement Road (near Fox Creek) were closed. Dieppe declared a "local emergency" on September 23 when its main thoroughfare, Champlain Street, had a section washed out. The washout was six metres deep, and the sidewalk and curbing was gone on that stretch of the street. A broken water main may have been partly responsible for the washout.) The Melanson Settlement Road and 13 other streets in the community were closed for periods of time as water washed out the road shoulders and some of the guard rails. The 13 roads were re-opened on September 24 but the Melanson Settlement Road was reported to be closed for about a week. Repairs to Champlain Street and the Melanson Settlement Road were estimated to cost $100 000. The town of Dieppe estimated that 150 homes were hit with some degree of flooding. Three houses on Fox Creek Road were evacuated, and about 20 homes on Melanson Settlement Road were isolated by the floodwaters. In the Riverview area, Hillsborough Road, Pine Glen Road were closed. Pine Glen Road remained closed about one week due to a massive washout, approximately 20 metres wide by two metres deep. The Hillsborough Road was inundated by floodwaters from Mill Creek, but was re-opened on September 24. The town of Riverview also provided some emergency services assistance to Albert County. The only open route to Albert County on September 23 was the longer and slower Turtle Creek Road. Approximately 60 homes in Riverview were hit by the flooding Generally higher relief in the Riverview area provides better drainage and less flooding. The CN railroad track was washed out near Memramcook, resulting in the main CN rail line being closed for about a day. Sackville Area: A washout on Route #106 cut off Frosty Hollow on both sides from both Sackville and Dorchester. Two families were evacuated from the area on the night of September 23. Route #935 from Sackville to Wood Point was reported as being impassable due to the high water. Saint John Area: Perennial trouble spots flooded in the eastern part of the city, such as; at McAllister Drive, Rothesay Avenue, and the Golden Grove Road. A new flood retention pond for Marsh Creek overflow in the Glen Falls area. However, it had been reported that it had helped to ease the flood situation. Miramichi Area: Traffic was re-routed on the South Napan Road for a short time on September 23 due to the flooding, which was caused by high flows exceeding the culvert capacity. This resulted in the shoulder being washed out over a short section.
An unusual combination of meteorological conditions produced a period of sustained, heavy rainfall in south and central New Brunswick. An extra-tropical storm (Gert) was located southeast of Newfoundland, which tended to hold a frontal trough almost stationary over New Brunswick. The southern end of the trough received large quantities of moisture from the remnants of hurricane Harvey.
Preliminary rainfall estimates for New Brunswick were 170 mm in Saint John, 166 mm in Fredericton, 150 mm in Moncton, 102 mm in Miramichi, 91 mm in the Acadian Peninsula, 68 mm in St. Stephen, 51 mm in Bathurst, 48 mm in Campbellton, and 31 mm in St. Leonard.
The city of Moncton is pursuing the federal and provincial governments for emergency funding to compensate individuals for losses. The city had received some 125 reports of flooding by mid afternoon of September 24. The damages, to the St. George Boulevard fire station, were reported to be in the order of $50 000 to $60 000. The street and road damage in the area was estimated to be in excess of $100 000.