'We've just been abandoned': Pictou County residents losing patience after being without power for 10 days
Ten days after post-tropical storm Fiona knocked out trees, roofs and power, much of what came down still needs to be picked up.
In Nova Scotia's Pictou County, crews are running in repair lines but many people are running out of patience.
“We’ve just been abandoned it feels like,” said Toney River, N.S., resident Sylvie Rosewood, who drove in to Pictou Monday to use power and internet at a comfort centre organized by the New Horizons Club.
Rosewood's house was hit by a tree but she can’t find anyone to move it because it’s tangled in a power line. According to her, private companies have said they can’t tackle it because of the wire, but Nova Scotia Power has said it’s up to homeowners to take care of it.
As of Monday, Rosewood said she hadn’t seen any power crews in her area.
“Where are they? It’s been nine days. Like crazy,” she said.
Down the road in Toney River, Margaret Murray is using her wood stove to stay warm.
Outside, the wind blew down her barn and took with it 3,000 bales of hay.
She said insurance won’t cover it and now she fears she and her husband will have to sell their cattle.
“We’re only covered by fire,” Murray said. “What was the sense of paying insurance if you’re not going to be covered?"
She’s optimistic power could be back on by mid-week and said someone from Nova Scotia Power called her to say it should be on again then. Even with a positive attitude, the whole experience has been incredibly overwhelming.
“My youngest daughter passed away two years ago and that was desperate hard. And now this has brought everything all back,” she said.
Along the highway between Pictou and Toney River, arborists have come from as far away as Ontario.
"We’ve been regaining access for companies to get machinery in,” said Jacob St. Pierre with Tim Allen’s Tree Service.
From Pictou to Antigonish, N.S., the military is making rounds to check in on people.
"We see you. We’re here for you. We’re working hard to support the government institutions,” said Maj. Stephen Misner, the task force commander for Task Force North Nova Scotia.
Pictou Mayor Jim Ryan notes power in parts of the town is starting to come back on. He said it’s been a trying time for residents.
“I expect it’ll probably be a little while until people are comfortable that the remnants of Fiona have passed,” Ryan said.
Jacqueline Klaus, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia Power, said the company knows how difficult it is to be without power for this long.
“Due to some of the more extreme damage in the hardest hit areas of the province, repairs and restorations in many cases can take several crews and several hours – even up to a day – to complete,” she said.
In Pictou County, the utility has seen the most amount of damage in the coastal areas, including Toney River.
“Damage is due primarily to hundreds of broken poles and downed lines due to falling trees and trees on power lines, as well as a significant number of damaged metre masts in region,” she said.
“These restorations are complex, however, crews are working as quickly as possible to safely restore power to our customers.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.