Three victims of N.S. floods identified as families mourn

Three of the four people who died while fleeing their homes during a devastating rainstorm last weekend in rural Nova Scotia have been identified.

An obituary for six-year-old Natalie Hazel Harnish says she loved colourful clothing and dressing up like a princess.

"Natalie loved her family trips to the Oaklawn Zoo, she insisted on having season passes. Natalie couldn't wait to see her favourite animal, Blueberry, the bear. She had no fear. The closer the bear was, the better," the obituary read.

"She was a shining light, full of energy and could always brighten up a room. She will be greatly missed by everyone whose lives she touched."

The obituary noted Natalie's dog, Molly, who also died in the flood, "will be laid to rest beside her."

As of Friday afternoon, a GoFundMe campaign set up to help Natalie's family had raised nearly $100,000.

Six-year-old Colton Arthur Sisco has also been identified as one of the victims.

An obituary for Colton notes that he loved playing with his big brother, snuggling with his mom, and going to car shows with his dad. 

"He was full of life and touched many lives in his short time. He will be forever missed by all those who knew him," the obituary read.

As of Friday afternoon, a GoFundMe campaign to help Colton's family had raised nearly $32,000.

Local musician identified

Nicholas Anthony Holland has been identified as another missing person who died in a separate incident due to the flooding.

Holland, 52, was a local performer known for his lifelong passion for music.

His former wife, Julie Giffin Holland, told The Canadian Press he was a member of the local heavy metal band Hogtooth, and died trying to escape the floodwater.

"He died a hero and should be remembered as that," she said in a text message.

Nicholas Holland leaves behind a partner and two children.

An obituary on a funeral home website describes Holland as a talented musician who played in many bands over the years.

"All who knew him knew music was his passion," it says.

Holland's body was recovered Monday in Brooklyn, N.S., about 55 kilometres northwest of Halifax. In the obituary, his family thanked search and rescue teams, private citizens and Holland's bandmates for their "tireless" efforts to find him.

"They all went above and beyond to bring Nick home to us, and we will be forever deeply grateful for that," the obituary reads.

Trying to escape the floods

A youth who was travelling with Holland, later identified as Terri-Lynn Keddy, was located roughly a week after the others. They were trying to escape the floodwaters when their vehicle was submerged, according to RCMP. Two other people in the vehicle at the time were rescued. 

Colton Sisco and Natalie Harnish had been travelling in a pick-up truck with others when the vehicle was swept away by floodwaters in the Brooklyn area. The other three people in the truck were able to escape.

On Friday, the RCMP said the active search for the missing youth will likely continue into the weekend. Police said around 70 people, including first responders and volunteers, are part of the search.

The primary search area was completely drained of water and work is underway to drain the secondary search area, police said.

"There is a tertiary search zone which runs along the shore from Halls Harbour to Brooklyn and from Maitland to Brooklyn. Search activities in this zone are focused on the edges of the river systems that flow into the Minas Basin, and the zone is being searched primarily by air," the RCMP wrote in the news release.

The rainstorm was categorized as a once-in-a-thousand-year event by Halifax officials, with the city and surrounding areas receiving as much as 250 millimetres of rain.

The severe flooding damaged dozens of roads and bridges across the province. As of Thursday, provincial officials said they had not yet assessed the full extent of the damage, though floodwaters had receded substantially.