Changes reduce wait times for Islanders seeking Fiona financial relief at Charlottetown Red Cross

The Canadian Red Cross says it’s made changes after frustration mounted over long lineups of Islanders trying to access Fiona relief money at its Charlottetown, P.E.I., office.

Wednesday’s massive lineup of Islanders affected by the post-tropical storm looking to get $250 assistance cheques was gone Thursday. But a few people, two dozen or so at a time, were waiting to ensure they didn’t miss their number being called.

The Red Cross office shifted to a fully appointment-based model Thursday. People coming to the site are now given a ticket with an approximate time they’ll be able to get in.

It’s done a lot to reduce frustration for some, though wait times are still a concern.

Some said they came in before 8 a.m., when the office opened early Thursday morning, and didn’t get an appointment until noon. Those around noon didn’t get appointments until supper time.

With the addition of a new site in Summerside Wednesday, and a site in Montague, wait times have dropped from nearly eight hours over the last two days.

"We had to make a number of adjustments throughout the evening, and I'm happy to report that today that seems to have reduced the wait times significantly,” said Bill Lawlor, the provincial director of Red Cross P.E.I. and N.B. “Part of that is based on the increased flow to our other sites.”

There's also a new triage process to separate those who need basic help registering, those who need to prove their identity, and those who are in situations that are more complicated.

The Red Cross is also sending more volunteers to help get people through faster and the organization has made a significant change for those who need to confirm their identity.

"We also recognize there were a number of people who didn't have photo ID, and that was causing some backlog problems. Not just with us, but then with government,” said Lawlor. “We still do request photo ID, but if they do not have it, we can waive that.”

You can now show a different piece of government documentation with your current address.

As of 6:15 p.m. Thursday, there were more than 1,300 Maritime Electric customers without power on Prince Edward Island.