Crews working 'as fast and as safely as possible' to repair Cape Breton roads, bridges

Officials in Cape Breton say they're working hard to repair damaged roads and bridges and reconnect areas that have been cut off from services such as hospitals and pharmacies.

A storm Wednesday dumped more than 200 millimetres of rain in some areas, including Ingonish River, N.S., which saw a total of 290 mm during the storm.

Road or bridge washouts in Ingonish, Tarbotvale, White Point and other areas have left residents stranded or facing hours-long detours.

Lyle Donovan, the Emergency Management Office co-ordinator for Victoria County, said repair work needs to be assessed before construction can begin, and he asked people to be patient.

"We're working as fast and as safely as possible. It's all about being safe and getting access to people as quickly and as fast as possible, but we have to be safe when we're doing it," he told CBC's Information Morning Cape Breton on Thursday.

The community of Tarbotvale is now completely isolated after a 30-metre steel truss bridge was washed out. Phone and internet lines into the community were attached to the bridge, and there is no cell service in the area, so emergency officials cannot communicate with residents.

Donovan said the brook the bridge passed over is still "fast, rushing water," so crews cannot get across to check on residents.

"We've had visual contact with them via neighbours. They've seen them, they've seen them outside. They appear to be OK," he said.

Donovan said it could be days or even weeks to get a route to the community.

"We hope Mother Nature begins to work with us and helps us with this daunting task of getting help to everyone."

Residents in Ingonish are unable to get to the local hospital, Buchanan Memorial Hospital in Neils Harbour, or a nearby pharmacy due to impassable roads in the area. The alternate route is a three-hour drive around western Cape Breton.

Larry Dauphinee, the deputy warden for Victoria County, said the pharmacist in Neils Harbour has been making the long trip to keep her store functioning, and has been sending some prescriptions to Sydney to be filled so customers on the other side of the closed road can get their medications.

The pharmacy has had offers from as far away as Pleasant Bay to house staff who are stuck in Neils Harbour.

Fishermen have offered to transport people who need to get around the closed road, including to hospitals, but Dauphinee said no transfers have taken place so far due to safety and legal concerns.