ST. MARY’S — From Sheet Harbour to Port Bickerton, Fiona lashed the Eastern Shore with all the fury the experts had predicted. Now, as cleanup proceeds after the worst storm in living memory, knocking out power to thousands, residents are counting their blessings and reaching out to their fellow citizens.
Janice Christie, president of the Sheet Harbour Chamber of Commerce and Civic Affairs, said she won’t soon forget the storm’s power, but also the community commitment she has observed in its aftermath.
“I was officiating at a wedding in Fall River, so I was at Inn on the Lake before the storm really started,” she told The Journal on Monday. “I spent [Friday] night, and there were five New Brunswick Power trucks outside my window. When I woke up, of course, there was no power. And then, after the storm, I drove straight back [to Sheet Harbour] and, oh my God, I could not believe the destruction of trees along the Eastern Shore … However, all these people had been out all day clearing.”
Sandy MacKenzie, president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 58 in Sheet Harbour — where he presides over one of several comfort centres along the Eastern Shore — was also proud of the local spirit. “Our members are responding very well and keeping the centre open,” he said. “It’s a tough experience for everybody, but it’s good to see everybody come together to help others in the community who are not having an easy time of it.”
In Sherbrooke, the story was much the same. For Leigh MacFarlane, proprietor of the Sanctuary Shore General Store, Fiona was wild, but in a Facebook post on Saturday — after the tempest had swept through — she said, “What an incredible community we have in the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s …trees down all over, power out and people caring for one another helping any way they can. So grateful to be part of this special place and hoping that everyone is well as we move through the aftermath of Fiona.”
On Monday, MacFarlane told The Journal that she’d kept the store open as long as she could but, due to the limited capacity of her on-site generators, she ultimately relocated the perishables to her family’s freezers. “We were very busy in the lead up, and I was glad that we had what we had and people didn’t have to go to Antigonish to get what they needed,” she said. “It’s given me a really good idea what we need to do to get ready for something in the future. It was a really good test.”
York Lethbridge, executive director of Sherbrooke Village, was also breathing easier thanks to the community. “We fared well in the storm, considering the potential risks to our 53-acre site,” he said in an email on Monday. “I’m grateful Sherbrooke Restoration Commission had the foresight to address overgrown, diseased and unhealthy trees last year — wind direction from Fiona would have meant catastrophic damage to our Jail House and Post Office.”
That said, he added, “We lost several mature trees; most fell between buildings, with minor damage to the Presbyterian Church and Tailor Shop, where crown limbs made contact with roofs. Loss of ancient trees is always sad and does have an impact on the look of our site. However, Sherbrooke Village has a long-term landscaping plan that we will revisit and will replace indigenous trees for the future enjoyment of Nova Scotians and those interested in our heritage. Clean up started today with our restoration crew and local arborists working diligently to remove debris safely.”
That process is underway everywhere in villages and towns, inland and along the shore of eastern Nova Scotia. And, despite the local determination and initiative, that recovery will be long and arduous.
The hurricane packed some of the highest wind speeds ever recorded in these coastal areas, leaving just about everyone in the dark. On Tuesday morning, Nova Scotia Power’s outage map reported more than 1,000 customers without power in some of the more populated areas of rural Eastern HRM and St. Mary’s — from Sheet Harbour to East Quoddy, from Glenelg to West Erinville, and from Wine Harbour to Port Bickerton. Service was not expected to be restored until Wednesday afternoon at the earliest.
Meanwhile, municipal officials did their best to keep residents informed under the rapidly fluctuating circumstances.
On Monday, St. Mary’s Voyent emergency alert system indicated washouts and flooding on Highway 7 between Goshen and Sherbrooke, on Highway 316 near Cheese Factory Road, and on Highway 348 near Smithfield. The Old Country Harbour Road was also closed.
Meanwhile, the St. Mary’s transfer station, which had sustained some damage during the storm, was open to “accept brush and construction and demolition waste only.” The municipality also announced that it was redistributing microwaveable VON meals from SHOPS and some milk products from Shoppers on Monday and Tuesday, and the municipal community room was available for residents to heat up a meal or recharge devices.
Additional area comfort centres, listed on the municipality’s website, included: Sherbrooke Fire Hall, Goshen Community Centre, Seashore Fire Hall and Community Centre, Indian Harbour Lake and Jordanville Community Hall and Ecum Secum Fire Hall. Other centres along the Eastern Shore were at the Moser River Community Centre, the SR Balcom Centre in Port Dufferin, and the Mushaboom Fire Hall.
In Sheet Harbour, MacKenzie said, the legion’s centre has been seeing a steady stream of people. “[On Sunday], we were looking at 30 to 50 people run through here. The charge on a lot of people’s phones were starting to go. Just by our geographic location, this is one of the few areas where we have cell phone [coverage]. So, the traffic in the parking lot was quite heavy because people could come there and use their phones let people know they were okay … We do have fiber optic Internet and that’s been up and running … We always have coffee and tea on snacks on the go, that kind of thing.”
Still, he said, “We’re going to be days and, in some parts of our area, weeks getting cleaned up.” Indeed, Christie added: “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
In a statement to The Journal on Tuesday, St. Mary’s Warden Greg Wier said: “Thanks to the volunteers at the six comfort centres. Thanks to the local businesses that kept us supplied with essentials and fuel. Thanks to the Municipal staff for keeping our utilities they control going, and all the extras.”
