Eastern Canadian city flooded amid rains and spring thaw

Terra Daily, via Agence France-Presse: Hundreds of homes were flooded Thursday in eastern Canada, where the rising waters of the St. John River forced power cuts and the closure of most provincial government buildings, officials said. In Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick province, water levels reached 8.28 meters (27.1 feet), more than two meters above the flood stage and nearing a record 8.63 meters set in 1973.

Officials blamed torrential rains and a spring thaw in the north of the province of the largest snow pack in the region's history. In Fredericton, water levels climbed more than one meter in the last 24 hours, forcing the closing of the legislature, city hall, courthouse and schools, as well as some 50 roads. As a precaution, electricity for 390 homes was also shut off.

"Water levels in most areas continued to rise overnight," said Andy Morton, deputy director of New Brunswick's Emergency Measures Organization, but added that fortunately, they were not as high as expected. He said water levels would continue to rise but should peak Thursday….

The Princess Margaret Bridge over the St. John River at Fredericton in the winter, shot by Scott Davis, Wikimedia Commons, under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license, Version 1.2