Communities in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland are still recovering after being slammed by the remnants of Hurricane Matthew and a system off the coast of the Carolinas.
About 50,000 Nova Scotia Power customers lost electricity today after high winds and heavy rain felled power lines Monday.
WEA Maritimes Heavy Rain 20161011
Vehicles struggled with high water in a residential area of Sydney, N.S., on Tuesday. Thousands were still without power in Nova Scotia and some communities in Newfoundland and Labrador were under a state of emergency after torrential rain and strong winds blasted the region. (Vaughan Merchant/The Canadian Press)
By 4 p.m. AT Tuesday, some 36,272 customers were still without power. Many on the Nova Scotia mainland won't get power back until Wednesday morning, the utility says. People in Cape Breton won't be reconnected until late Thursday morning. 
The Sydney area got about 225 millimetres of rain on Monday, according to unofficial numbers from Environment Canada. The rain resulted in flooding that led to street closures, mostly in Sydney and Glace Bay.
Before
After
Image Credits: Before Sharon Tobin | After Sharon Tobin
"We have thousands of homes with flooded basements with water and sewer in some cases," said Cecil Clarke, the mayor the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. 
It's too early to say how much the storms will cost Nova Scotia, but Clarke anticipates it will be "millions and millions."
Clarke said while the weather has "stretched the resources of the region and municipality" but the most important thing is that people are safe.
"We haven't suffered a loss of life," he said.
Sydney under water near Cottage Road and Cabot Street
A park near Cottage Road and Cabot Street in Sydney was submerged after heavy rain on Monday. (Tim L'Esperance/Vision Air Services)
After taking its toll on Cape Breton, the weather system moved on to Newfoundland dumping more than 150 mm of rain forcing some communities to declare states of emergency. 
The town of St. Alban's, a community of about 1,200, was cut off from surrounding communities when the main bridge into town — the five-metre-high, 41-metre-long Swanger Cove Bridge — was washed away.

Outages until Wednesday morning

In Nova Scotia, most customers affected in the western and central areas of the province will be without power until at least 6 p.m. AT, according to the latest update on Nova Scotia Power's website.
St. Alban's Bridge damage
The town of St. Alban's, N.L., was cut off from surrounding communities when the main bridge into town was washed away. (Melissa Burke/Twitter.com/nlmsb)
Much of the eastern part of Nova Scotia, including most of Sydney —which got the brunt of the rainfall —  won't have power restored until late Thursday morning. 
"The flooding is significantly hampering the efforts of crews," said Beverly Ware, spokeswoman for Nova Scotia Power. 
As of 4 p.m. AT Tuesday, most of the outages were in Sydney, Stellarton and Goshen. 
"This storm brought very strong and sustained winds," said Ware. "These sustained winds did weaken trees and branches and it caused the trees and the branches to fall down onto the lines, that's why much of damage was caused." 
Ware said 90 Nova Scotia Power crews, along with private contractors, were working on the lines. Tree-trimming crews were also out trying to cut the downed branches and trees off power lines. 
"The high winds do cause a concern, because crews have to go up in bucket trucks to do these repairs," said Ware.
Whitney Ave flood damage
The flood waters ate away at a culvert on Whitney Avenue near the intersection with Hospital Street in Sydney. (Norma Jean MacPhee/CBC)
Fresh crews started work Tuesday morning, replacing those who worked all night to restore power.
Most of the other outages are scattered throughout central and northern Nova Scotia, along with the Annapolis Valley, South Shore, Cumberland, Colchester, near the Northumberland Strait and in Cape Breton. 

Cape Breton pounded by rain 

Sydney's 225 millimetres of rain shattered its previous record for extreme daily rainfall, set when 128.8 millimetres fell on Aug. 17, 1981.
Nova Scotia Power has opened its emergency operations centre in Ragged Lake, N.S., for the first time since the winter. It will be staffed 24/7 by senior company leaders specially trained in storm management, who will direct crews on the ground until all power is restored, Ware said.
Nova Scotia Power is asking anyone who sees downed power lines to stay away from them and call 1-877-428-6004 to let crews know.
  • Kay Dilney, 91, surveys the damage to her neighbours homes. Luckily, her home was spared serious damage. She says she's never seen anything like this.
  • Kay Dilney, 91, surveys the damage to her neighbours homes. Luckily, her home was spared serious damage. She says she's never seen anything like this. (George Mortimer/CBC)
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