Rising temperatures prompt flood warnings
Posted Mar 19, 2012 06:46:52 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
If any flooding happens in Nova Scotia this year, the national weather service says it will likely happen this week.
Environment Canada’s senior climatologist says soaring temperatures this week will get the spring melt well underway.
“Spring rains or end-of-the season snows that are soppy wet can add an instant amount of precipitation, or water, to the rivers,” David Phillips told News 95.7
Phillips said flooding is not likely to be a major concern this year, because precipitation amounts throughout the winter were so low.
However, flooding continues to be the leading cause of property damage in Canada, making it a top priority in the spring for insurance companies.
“This is the time of year when we have increased water activity around homes,” said Allstate spokesperson Tony Irwin.
There’s no such thing as flood insurance in Canada, but Irwin said homeowners can still take steps to protect their property.
“You can get protection for things like sewer back up, which our data shows is the leading indicator of water damage,” he said. “All kinds of other water damage does occur on a regular basis and you can be covered for some of those types of situations.”
