A torrential downpour in New Brunswick this weekend has hit a small community in the southwest of the province especially hard.
St. Stephen is recovering after an estimated 165 millimetres of rain soaked the community of 5,000, leaving businesses and residents with flooded basements.
"They're obviously upset and they have every right to be upset," said John Ames, the town's deputy mayor.
"It was very close to being a repeat of the disaster we had in 2010."
In December of that year, the small community in the province's southwest corner, located on the border with Maine, was flooded with more than 165 millimetres of rain.
Unlike in 2010, however, this year the water failed to reach the town's business centre.
Mr. Ames said the raised land surrounding St. Stephen makes the town especially susceptible to flooding, as rainwater funnels into the valley and ultimately into the Saint Croix, a tidal river that borders the community.
"We're going to have a town meeting at some point and discuss this with some experts who might have some more technical experience to guide us in the right direction," he said.
"We sure as heck don't want this to ever happen again."
Heavy rains fell across much of New Brunswick on Friday, including 120 mm in Fredericton and 78 mm in Saint John, according to Environment Canada.