Halifax residents are being asked to "dig deep" and pick up their shovels to rescue their city, but one councillor thinks it may be time to declare a state of emergency.
Atlantic Canada continues to take a beating from the latest in a series of relentless snow storms to hit the region, making it difficult for emergency vehicles to travel the roads.
“I’m very concerned about this. I think it’s a real disaster,” Halifax Regional Municipality Coun. Gloria McCluskey told CTV Atlantic.
Halifax hasn’t declared a state of emergency since 2004, when a blizzard dubbed “White Juan” dumped snow at a rate of “five centimetres per hour for 12 straight hours,” according to Environment Canada.
But overnight Tuesday, another blizzard hit Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, dropping as much as 30 centimetres of snow on a region where the build-up is already several metres high.
The sheer volume of snow has brought cities like Halifax to a virtual stand-still. Driving is treacherous, sidewalks are buried in snow and some residents have been forced to dig tunnels to escape their homes.
Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said he’s wary of declaring a state of emergency because “it’s a very serious thing and brings potentially a lot of powers,” but said it’s a possibility.
It would let the city commandeer vehicles and command private resources.
McCluskey said she can’t understand the hesitation.
“I don’t know what they see that I’m not seeing, but I don’t think it would be a bad idea,” she said.
Meanwhile, drivers are continuing to travel around the city, despite cautions from officials and a ban on street parking.
“It makes me mad to see them out trying to drive around to get to nowhere,” said plow driver Brian Reynolds.
Coun. Wayne Mason has called on residents to help the city by picking up their shovels.
"We are in a crisis and it is going to get worse," he said in a post on his website Tuesday.
"I hope people get out there and dig deep (pun intended) and shovel their walks, their neighbours' walks, and dig out the corners," Mason said.
The heavy snow has been a problem throughout the region.
Eighty-five-year-old Roger Richard of Moncton, N.B., says he's never seen snow this deep. He says he spent eight hours digging his way out of the house earlier this week after he and his wife became trapped by the snow.
"This is ridiculous," Richard told CTV Atlantic on Tuesday.
The snow around Richard's home is nearly twice his height.
With files from CTV Atlantic
