Some Cape Breton counties lift states of emergency as flood recovery continues

SAINT PETER’S — Two Cape Breton counties have lifted their local states of emergency while another kept its travel restrictions in place Wednesday following widespread flooding over the weekend.

A slow-moving storm dropped more than 200 millimetres of rain on some parts of the Nova Scotia island in less than two days. It washed out roads and culverts, damaged bridges and temporarily left some people stranded in their neighbourhoods.

Victoria and Inverness counties lifted states of local emergency Tuesday evening, but Richmond County remained in a state of local emergency, which meant unnecessary travel was prohibited. Schools remained closed as a result.

The county’s warden said the decision to maintain the state of emergency would allow for further assessment of roads and infrastructure in the hardest-hit areas.

“Our issues today are twofold: continuing those recovery, repair and reconstruction efforts, but also to do the last of the assessments we need to have confidence in the existing infrastructure,” Lois Landry said in an interview Wednesday.

Landry said Route 4 between the towns of Port Hawkesbury and St. Peter’s was badly damaged, as were spots in the River Bourgeois area. She said repair work has been done, and the roads will be in good shape once they receive a new layer of asphalt.

The warden said there were bigger infrastructure concerns in the area around the St. Georges Channel and The Points West Bay areas at the western end of Bras d’Or Lake.

Temporary fixes have been made, but permanent repairs will likely come with significant detours, she said.

Still, Landry said it appeared that everybody in the county was able to remain in their homes safely and had access to local roads.

Meanwhile, the provincial Department of Public Works said in an email that 21 of the 120 roads damaged in the flooding were still being repaired. As well, it said four of 12 damaged bridges must be replaced, while the others have since reopened to traffic.

The department says repairs will be prioritized based on safety. The cost of repairs remains unknown.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2026.





— By Devin Stevens in Halifax.

The Canadian Press