'Cross our fingers': Rainy weekend weather concerning for people still repairing from Fiona

Just the mention of any kind of tropical weather conditions is enough to get the attention of people still rebuilding and repairing after post-tropical storm Fiona.   

It has been nearly seven weeks since Fiona blew through the Maritimes, and while it feels like a while ago by now, there is still damage present in Sydney, N.S.

"It’s covered over with tarps right now until we can get it fixed through the insurance company,” says homeowner Ron Mullin, who still has roof damage from the storm.

Post-tropical storm Nicole made landfall in Florida on Wednesday. While it’s not expected to have the same impact as Fiona in the Maritimes, it will bring wind and rain to the region this weekend.        

"Where the shingles are missing, it's exposed wood. So water damage to the attic, and eventually into the house,” says Ron.

"We’re getting close to finishing, but there's still a lot of damage out there,” says Andrew MacDonald, who owns a tree removal company.

Since Fiona, Andrew’s company has been flat-out. Looking ahead at this weekend's weather, he says there are still areas of concern.

"There's a lot of trees that are still compromised. They’re on leans, and there's a good potential that some of those may go this weekend,” says Andrew.

"Definitely not what we want coming off the heels of Fiona," says Cape Breton Regional Municipality Coun. Cyril MacDonald.

Cyril says, if anything was learned from Fiona, it’s that both the municipal level, and homeowners need to be prepared.

"Maybe go to the gas station today instead of three days after the storm to fill your jerry cans, and just do what you need to do to keep your house afloat,” says Cyril.

There are concerns about power outages as many people spent a week or more in the dark post-Fiona.

Nova Scotia Power says, since Fiona, it has trimmed and removed some trees that were weakened by the hurricane-force winds. They have also made permanent repairs to power poles that were temporarily fixed to get the power back on.  

Back at his home in Sydney, Ron says his father-in-law who lives there is a Cadet Corps veteran. They can only hope for minimal rain damage after Remembrance Day.

"That's it. Cross our fingers and hope we don't get too much rain,” says Ron.

Nova Scotia Power says it's monitoring the forecast to determine what areas might be impacted most and where additional crews might be needed.