December storms leaves its mark on Charlotte County in New Brunswick

The southwestern portion of New Brunswick was among the hardest hit in the province following Monday’s storm that wiped out power for tens of thousands.

Fallen trees on power lines, shingles from roofs and debris scattered across streets were common sights in both St. Stephen and St. Andrews, N.B.

Both towns were without power for much of Tuesday, with many still in the dark with no timeline for when those lights may come back on.

“It’s frustrating. We have been hit hard a couple of times,” says St. Stephen resident Paddy Huizinga, who was also cleaning up from the wind storm that hit the province seven days prior. “I did lose some shingles but I am glad that it is over. It was pretty scary for a lot of people I think.”

Paul and Kimberly Ste Marie were among those who are counting their blessings during damage assessments, after a tree narrowly missed falling onto their trailer at Oak Bay Campground. The tree did destroy their gazebo and deck on the site, but the trailer was left with minimal to no damage.

“I think we did (dodge a bullet),” the couple says. “We did the hail Mary’s.”

The Charlotte County Hospital was without power for much of the day after its backup generators failed to fire. Public Safety Minister Kris Austin says power was restored to the facility early Tuesday evening.

Finding a gas station in the county was also an issue due to the power outages. St. Andrews had one of the only open pumps thanks to a backup generator, which brought hundreds of folks in from around the area, leading to long wait times.

Paulina Cooper says the wait for gas was unlike anything she has ever seen.

“Over two hours,” said Cooper, when asked how long she had waited for gas.

St. Andrews has set up a warming centre at the W.C. O’Neill Arena Complex, which will be open each day until power is fully restored. Many of the downed trees on roadways in the seaside town have already been cleaned up, but some still remain with no timeline for cleanup.

“Things are still precarious,” says New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization Director Kyle Leavitt. “There is still assessments that are being done, but there is a lot of people on site doing their best to get everything back to normal.”

Residents are hoping next Monday all they’ll have to clean up is wrapping paper on Christmas morning, not the aftermath of another storm.