Evacuation order issued as dam at risk of breaching near Windsor, N.S.

An evacuation order has been put in place for people living near the Saint Croix River system near Windsor, N.S., as the province has been inundated with torrential downpours for hours.

The order was sent out to cell phones in the area at 3:41 a.m. AT. It says the "dam is at risk of breaching. All residents must evacuate immediately to the Brooklyn Civic Centre at 995 Highway 215, Newport." A later alert said evacuees can also use the Windsor Civic Centre at 78 Thomas St., Windsor.

Windsor, located in Hants County, is about 60 km northwest of downtown Halifax.

Environment Canada has a rainfall warning in place for most of the province, and regional alerts have warned of severe flooding, damaged homes and impassable roads.

Nova Scotia's road condition website is warning of flooding on highways 101, 102, 103, 107, 111 and 118.

Halifax has also been caught in the deluge, with Halifax Regional Police warning that multiple roads are closed to all traffic. They include:

• The Bedford Highway between Sherbrooke Drive and Flamingo Drive and between Dartmouth Road and River Lane.
• Union Street between the Bedford Highway and Rowledge Lane.
• Hammonds Plains Road between Gary Martin Drive and Larry Uteck Boulevard.
• Bluewater Road at Hammonds Plains Road.

Police also warned early Saturday that the storm has left rocks, gravel and other debris on roads throughout the region. They also said a number of vehicles that had been abandoned on flooded roads were towed.

"A large number of vehicles also remain in flooded parking lot and on private properties."

More to come