Flood Details - 2003-03-29 - 2003-04-02

An intense spring storm moved across Atlantic Canada at the end of March. The combination of heavy rain, high snow banks and high tides caused major flooding in all areas of Atlantic Canada, including New Brunswick. In Sussex, along McLean Street, Holman Avenue and other streets in the low-lying neighbourhood off Maple Avenue, hoses snaked out of basement windows and front doors as pumps tried to keep up with the water flowing into homes. Nearby Gateway Mall closed for businesses on the 31st after its parking lot completely flooded. The liquor store across the parking lot from the mall also flooded after water levels rose above its front door. Water levels rose more than 2.5 meters in the area in a 24-hour period. An older gentleman found himself floating away after he drove through a particularly deep section of water in the back-parking lot of Gateway Mall. The mall’s maintenance supervisor used a paddle boat, left in the mall after a recent recreation show, to rescue the driver. The town sent a front-end loader to get the car out of the water. Residents in parts of Moncton faced up to 25 centimeters of water in their homes. City firefighters were on hand to help pump water out of basements and ensure water levels didn’t threaten electrical panels. West Main Street and Westbrook Circle were hardest hit by flooding. Police spent most of the 31st rerouting thousands of vehicles from flooding on major streets. Up to 40 city streets were reported flooded and many were closed. In the Glen Falls area of Saint John, tides of water ran into basements and turned streets into impassible rivers. Firefighters responded to about 20 calls on the 31st from city homeowners, pumping out basements where water was anywhere from 10 centimeters to over one meter deep. Simpson Drive at Golden Grove was barricaded, and Ashton Place and part of McAllister Drive between Golden Grove and Westmorland Road were blocked off to traffic. Ellerdale Street between Margaret and Kilburn streets was also closed. A portion of Rothesay Avenue near Highway 1 was down to only two lanes for most of the day, and water on Glen Road, MacKay Street, Brown Street, Todd Street, Holland Street, Water Street and Broadway Street was making driving conditions hazardous. Residents were encouraged to drop into the Forest Glen Community Centre to get out of their wet homes for hot drinks, soup and sandwiches. The Saint John Fire Department rescued a man from his car in the Atlantic Superstore parking lot on Somerset Street in the North End. He drove into the rear portion of the parking lot where water was about one meter deep. In Sackville, water stopped traffic at Queens Road and at Lorne Street and Charles Street. In Hillsborough, Pattie’s Place Restaurant and the Hillsborough Service Center closed their doors after becoming waterlogged. Some localized flooding also occurred in communities along the Memramcook River. Some residents on Palmer Road were isolated when Breau Creek flooded the road. The storm created ideal conditions for ice jams on the Canaan and Oromocto rivers and at the Cherryvale Covered Bridge. There was also ice movement on the Upper Nashwaak River with minor flooding in Taymouth, Nashwaak Bridge and Nashwaak Village.

Environment Canada precipitation totals for March 29th, 30th and 31st: Alma: 139.4 mm Sussex: 109.6 mm Saint John: 97.2 mm Point Lepreau: 87.9 mm Bouctouche: 76.2 mm Moncton: 74.4 mm

Mount Royal Boulevard in Moncton suffered extensive damage during the rain storm and was closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic for six weeks. A culvert on Milner Road was also damaged and parts of the shoulder along Highway 114 were eroded. Route 106 in Memramcook was also extensively damaged and the shoulders of several roads in the Tantramar and Moncton areas were washed out and some lanes sustained damage. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure agreed to partner with the Village of Memramcook to cover the costs of elevating Palmer Road so residents wouldn’t be isolated if the road flooded again. Estimates put repair costs in the range of $1.5 million, which includes the replacement of the culvert on Mount Royal Boulevard which was expected to cost $500,000. The storm cost NB Power about $450,000 to repair and restore power to approximately 55,000 customers in the southeast region.