Waves create mess along Halifax waterfront

Several businesses on the Halifax waterfront have received damage due to a massive winter storm on Saturday.

Environment Canada meteorologist Andy Firth said some businesses were flooded by waves only slightly smaller than those kicked up by hurricane Juan a few years ago.

“The normal high tide would be about 2.1 metres. We got up to about 2.8 in the harbour, only 10 centimetres less than we had from Juan,” Firth said.

One of the businesses mopping up from the storm was the Lower Deck Beer Market. Owner Mike Condy said they were forced to shut down for the night around 8:30 because of flooding.

“Once the storm surge came in, the water was breaking against the building and we flooded,” said Condy, who estimated there were 50 people in the bar when they decided to close. “It was too dangerous to have people around here with electricity and stuff.”

The storm surge lasted about 90 minutes, with Condy and his team still cleaning up the mess yesterday afternoon.

“I’d say the pub had six to eight inches (of water). In Juan, we had probably two feet,” he said.

Others were also cleaning up around Halifax yesterday, but it was from the heavy, wet snow packed in their driveways. Environment Canada said Halifax Stanfield International Airport reported only 11 centimetres of snow from the storm, but some of the accumulation was lost from several hours of freezing rain and ice pellets.

Up to 30 centimetres of snow was dumped on other parts of the Maritimes.

At the storm’s height Saturday, almost 45,000 homes and businesses in the Maritimes were blacked out. At Halifax Stanfield International Airport, 10 flights were cancelled and seven others were delayed.

Death
The RCMP reported one storm-related death yesterday. A 54-year-old man from Three Fathom Harbour died in hospital from carbon monoxide poisoning. Police said he and a 32-year-old woman had sparked up a generator after their power went out on Saturday night.