State of emergency lifted early in N.S. following devastating floods | Globalnews.ca

The provincewide state of emergency that was declared four days ago in response to severe flooding in Nova Scotia will be lifted earlier than anticipated.

A state of emergency can remain in effect for 14 days or until it is no longer required.

In a Wednesday release, the province said the state of emergency will be lifted as of 6 p.m.

“This has been a significant event that has left a devastating impact on our province,” said John Lohr, Minister responsible for the Emergency Management Office, in the release.

“A provincewide state of emergency was an appropriate and valuable tool in the first few days of the response. Now that we are moving into the recovery phase, we continue to work with our partners and no longer need the exceptional powers a state of emergency provides.”

A series of punishing thunderstorms dumped up to 250 millimetres of rain on Nova Scotia this weekend, killing at least three people and damaging infrastructure across the province. A youth remains missing.

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A provincewide state of emergency, which falls under the Emergency Management Act, can limit travel in heavily-impacted areas, direct people and equipment to the response effort and facilitate co-ordinated restoration of damaged infrastructure.