EMO opens parks, schools for showers as dry conditions continue
Posted Sep 19, 2016 07:03:18 AM.
Last Updated Sep 19, 2016 07:05:03 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – As much of Nova Scotia remains under dry conditions, the Emergency Management Office (EMO) has laid out details for efforts to help people get through one of the worst dry spells the province has ever seen.
According to the Canadian Drought Monitor, about half of the province is experiencing drought conditions with the most serious situation in southwestern Nova Scotia where conditions are being called “severe.”
A number of wells have dried up in that part of the province as residents wait for substantial rain to bring the water table to a normal level, with an estimate of over six inches of rain needed to help the conditions.
The province’s EMO has opened four provincial parks for showers and water from Sunday to Thursday, those include Rissers Beach Provincial Park in Lunenburg County, Thomas Raddall Provincial Park in Queens County and The Islands Provincial Park in Shelburne County.
In Argyle, EMO says three schools will open before and after school hours – École Belleville, École Pubnico-Ouest, and École Par-en-Bas – for public showers, while Drumlin Heights school in Yarmouth will also be open before and after classes.
EMO is also stressing water from lakes, rivers, streams and springs are not safe water supplies and may be contaminated.
According to a release, the Retail Council of Canada is working with EMO and the Red Cross to get water donated to residents, while the government is also purchasing bottled water for effected residents.
For the latest information, residents can go to the province’s emergency management website.
