Provincewide State of Emergency Lifted

The provincewide state of emergency declared on Saturday, July 22, in response to severe flooding will be lifted at 6 p.m. today, July 26.

“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. “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 provincewide state of emergency is an administrative function under the Emergency Management Act. It supersedes any municipal order and helps ensure a co-ordinated provincewide response.

Powers under a state of emergency can include:

• limiting travel in heavily impacted areas
• directing key people and equipment to the response effort
• facilitating the co-ordinated restoration of damaged critical infrastructure.

Quick Facts:

• a state of emergency can remain in effect for 14 days or until it is no longer required
• the Minister responsible for the Emergency Management Office has the authority to lift or extend the state of emergency under the Emergency Management Act

Additional Resources:

Emergency Management Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/emergency%20management.pdf

Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office emergency alerts and information: https://novascotia.ca/alerts/

Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nsemo