Access to a small Newfoundland town has been cut off Sunday after torrential rain washed out the only road access overnight.
Roadways to Ship Harbour have been washed out twice in the past two months. Ship Harbour is a town of 500 on Placentia Bay, 150 kilometres west of St. John's.
Tropical storm Chantel knocked out the town's only road access at the end of August, leaving the community isolated for more than a week.
As repairs to the main road neared completion, an estimated 40 to 50 millimetres of overnight rain washed away a temporary road.
Workers were wrapping up final repairs on the main road, including inserting a culvert to help avoid future flooding, before the setback.
Sunday afternoon, the culvert that channelled water into the bay was sticking up at a 45 degree angle and water was flowing over the gravel road.
The isolation is especially dangerous to Ship Harbour because the town relies on neighbouring communities for fire and ambulance services.
NTV News reported Sunday that anyone who is injured or falls ill must be transported by boat to nearby Fox Harbour before being shuttled to hospital.
The contractor responsible for repairing the roadway said construction will only be delayed by two or three days by Sunday's washout, and road access should be returned later this week.
With a report from NTV News
