Flood Details - 1981-02-11 - 1981-02-13

Fredericton Area: In Fredericton, some flooded basements and pools of water were reported on city streets. The CN-CP railway track to the rear of Lincoln Road was washed out. Saint John Area: In Saint John, an ice blockage at Marsh Creek bridge resulted in flooding of several streets, including McAllister Drive and Rothesay Avenue. Some areas of Glen Falls were under two to three feet [0.6 m to 0.9 m] of water and many basements were flooded. As a result of the winds, the Liberian freighter, "Opal", was forced aground at the mouth of Saint John Harbour. Flooding of low lying land was reported throughout Kings County. Schools were closed in Districts 18 and 19 because bus routes were being affected by floodwaters. Highways were closed in the Lower Millstream-Berwick area, and Smith Creek Road at Salmon River Bridge was also closed for some time. One bridge in the Upper Millstream area was washed out and a second was vulnerable. Kennebecasis River Basin: VIA Rail Service was disrupted when the railroad bed near Nauwigewauk was washed out. A train bridge abutment at Secord Brook, between Apohaqui and Norton, was also washed out. At Norton, the Norton General Store was isolated by floodwaters for a time. A mile of underground telephone cable was also washed out, cutting service to the N.B. Tel customers in the Springfield-Norton area. At Apohaqui, the Water Survey of Canada gauging station was carried away. In Sussex, an ice jam on the Kennebecasis River, near Roachville, resulted in flooding along Trout Creek. The Leonard Drive and the Maple Avenue bridges were closed for a time. The most serious flooding was reported to be in the Holman Avenue - Stewart Avenue - McLean Street area where basements were flooded and, in some cases, the water rose to main floor levels. Three homes were evacuated along with residents of a senior citizens complex on Goulding Street. The Gateway Mall parking lot was also inundated. At Sussex Corner, extensive flooding was reported in Skyline Acres on Campbell Street and Creighton Avenue area, as well as on Meadow Crescent and Cunningham Avenue. Moncton Area: Flooding was also reported in the Dieppe area near Moncton.

Saint John Area: At Saint John, 41.6 millimeters of rain were reported with 10oC temperatures, accompanied by winds of 40 kilometres per hour, gusting to 93 kilometres per hour. City of Saint John works department personnel described the Glen Falls flooding "as the worst in that area since the infamous Groundhog Day Gale of February, 1976". Kennebecasis River Basin: The flooding in Sussex was described "as the worst flooding situation in recent years".

No detailed estimates of the flood damage were made available in the newspaper accounts. Kennebecasis River Basin: In Sussex, at least one home on Holman Avenue, affected by the flooding, was left on a partially collapsed foundation. Fredericton Area: The problem on the CN-CP railway track behind 204 Lincoln Road, Fredericton, was said to have been a recurring one since 1960.