Flood Details - 2019-09-07 - 2019-09-08

Hurricane Dorian brought heavy rain and high winds to much of the Atlantic provinces on September 7th and 8th, 2019. In Saint John, emergency measures said it received reports of flooded basements, as well as fires due to power line and transformer interference and damage. Six areas were closed due to flooding, including McAllister Drive at Majors Brook Drive, McAllister Drive at Westmorland Road, McAllister Drive at Golden Grove Road, Westmorland Road between McAllister Place and Parkway Mall, Rothesay Avenue at Retail Drive, and Rothesay Avenue by Crosby’s which was down to one lane each way. More than 50 roads in total were affected by floodwaters in the Saint John area. Several feet of water covered Centennial Park’s lower basin in Moncton. A section of stairs came off their braces, a culvert failed near the former Centennial Beach, and a few unused water logged structures in the lower basin area would have to be demolished. Calls came in for 41 flooded streets, 19 flooded basements, 26 trees blocking streets and nine trees over sidewalks. Some of the worst flooding occurred on English Drive, Elmwood Drive below Lewisville Road, Fairlane Drive and Massey Avenue east of Elmwood Drive. In Shediac at Sandy Beach campground, several cars were flooded from the storm surge and at the Wishing Star campground, the rising water also flooded many travel trailers while others were swept away. Large rocks were also deposited on doorsteps, decks were destroyed, and debris was scattered over the campground.

Environment Canada rainfall total for September 7th and 8th: Moncton: 121 mm Mechanic Settlement: 117 mm Miramichi: 115 mm Saint Ignace: 110 mm Dorchester: 97 mm Doaktown: 92 mm Sussex: 86 mm Saint John: 82 mm Fredericton: 75 mm Environment Canada wind gusts: Miscou Island: 106 km/hr Moncton: 100 km/hr Saint John: 102 km/hr Bouctouche: 81 km/hr Sussex: 76 km/hr Bathurst: 70 km/hr

In Shediac, Dorian’s storm surge tossed a number of vessels at the Shediac Bay Yacht Club out of the water and onto the shore, with estimated damages of over $2 million. It also carved away huge sections of Parlee Beach, removing up to five feet of sand in some areas. Murray Beach and Parlee Beach remained closed the rest of the season due to the damages. In November, the province launched a Disaster Financial Assistance program to help individuals, small businesses and not-for-profit organizations and municipalities who suffered property damage following Dorian. The maximum assistance for structural repairs to private residences would be $160,000, while the maximum for small businesses and not-for-profit organizations would be $500,000. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure reported expenses of $18.5 million for road washouts, bridges and road repairs. Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture reported damage to provincial park beaches at over $1 million. Twenty-four municipalities reported damages to infrastructure including streets, wharfs, marinas, localized flooding to basements, breakwaters and debris cleanup. The New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization received 155 damage reports for private homes, small businesses and not-for-profit organizations in the amount of $6.5 million. Of the 155 damage reports, 43 were for shellfish operators in the amount of $2.5 million. It is estimated that Hurricane Dorian caused over $22.5 million in insured damages in New Brunswick.