A man surveys damage at the edge of floodwater as vehicles are seen abandoned in water following a major rain event in Halifax on Saturday, July 22, 2023. A man who died during a torrential rain storm last weekend in rural Nova Scotia has been identified as Nick Holland. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
HALIFAX – A man who died during a torrential rainstorm last weekend in rural Nova Scotia has been identified as Nicholas Anthony Holland, a local performer known for his lifelong passion for music.
Holland was one of four people, including two young children, who went missing early Saturday after the vehicles they were in were swept off a road and submerged as they fled their homes.
His former wife, Julie Giffin Holland, confirmed to The Canadian Press that the 52-year-old, a member of the local heavy metal band Hogtooth, 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.
A youth aged under 18 who was travelling with Holland remains missing. The remains of the two children, who were in a separate vehicle, were recovered this week. Police have said a surge of water washed the vehicles off the road as the occupants were trying to escape flash flooding at around 4 a.m. Saturday.
The rainstorm was categorized as a once-in-a-thousand-years event by Halifax officials, with the city and surrounding regions 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.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2023.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
