Schools closed as Cape Breton deals with aftermath of weekend flooding
Posted Sep 8, 2026 12:19:32 PM.
The Richmond County and Inverness County school boards have closed Tuesday, Sept. 8 given the local state of emergency following a weekend of storms and flooding that left one woman dead.
A local state of emergency was announced Sunday for Inverness, Richmond and Victoria counties due to severe flooding and widespread damage and continues through to Tuesday. As such, all schools in Victoria, Richmond and Inverness Counties are closed.
The Nova Scotia Community College’s Strait Area Campus in Port Hawkesbury and the Wagmatcook Learning Centre are also shuttered.
The Strait Regional Centre for Education said the closure will allow for necessary repairs and the maintenance of any roads that have been impacted by flooding.
Cape Breton Island and parts of the northeast mainland have been battered by rainfall over the weekend due to a slow-moving weather system.
More than 200 millimetres of rain have fallen on some areas of the island, leading to flooding that destroyed roads, culverts, barriers and bridges. Residents are being urged to avoid all non-essential travel as heavy rainfall continues to cause significant flooding, road washouts and transportation disruptions in the area.
Province mourning after one woman dead
RCMP say the body of a 46-year-old woman from Cleveland, N.S., was recovered Saturday afternoon after she was reported missing earlier that day.
The Mounties say their Richmond County office received a report the woman was missing after her vehicle was found parked near her residence on the far side of a flooded bridge.
Police, volunteers and local fire services started searching for the woman, and her body was later recovered in the area at about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to a news release.
“Our province is mourning the loss of one of our own following the flooding in Cape Breton. My deepest condolences are with her family, loved ones and community as they grieve this heartbreaking loss,” said Kim Masland, Minister of Emergency Management, in a release. “When tragedy takes the life of a fellow Nova Scotian, it is felt across our province. I want her loved ones to know that all Nova Scotians are standing with them.
He said the province’s priority right now is public safety and thanks the first responders, emergency workers, municipal teams, volunteers, public works crews and members of the Nova Scotia Guard who have worked to respond to flooding safety concerns and infrastructural damage.
