The worst of the rain is over according to forecasters, but the effects of a storm that’s battered the province’s southwest coast are still being felt.

The runoff has overwhelmed culverts in many areas with wash outs and road closures at least four points in the area of Port aux Basques and the Codroy Valley.

That’s prompting provincial government officials to urge area residents to stay home and not to venture out.

Premier Andrew Furey led a news conference to update the province on the storm and the damage it has caused.

He calls it an evolving and acute situation, and asked people to stay off the roads.

Culverts are on standby to begin repairs once the situation allows and plans are underway to divert Marine Atlantic’s ferry service to Argentia due to road conditions in the area.

He says Marine Atlantic is due to make an announcement imminently.

Many Communities Cut-Off Because of Damage, Parsons Says

Meanwhile, MHA for Burgeo-La Poile, Andrew Parsons gave an idea of just how many people are affected by the damage on the southwest coast.

He says he doesn’t have the exact numbers of people living in the area, but he looks at it from a community perspective.

The storm is affecting from Codroy Valley south, down to Rose Blanche, and then La Poile.

He says one of the toughest parts with this system is that many communities are now cut off from each other due to different breaks.

He says route 480, which encompasses the Burgeo, Ramea, Grey River and Francois (fran-sway) area has been unaffected thus far.

The biggest problem, according to parsons, is that the TCH is fractured in various areas.

He says it is something that affects everyone in that corner of the province.