More than 10,000 P.E.I. households still struggling to access Fiona aid

The long lineups are gone, but many people on Prince Edward Island are still facing challenges getting aid from the Canadian Red Cross following post-tropical storm Fiona.

The organization is seeing 400 households on the island each day, but there are simply not enough appointments to keep up.

There were already people lined outside the mall in Charlottetown at 4:30 a.m. Thursday when Siasat Singh arrived.

“When I came here, there were 30 to 40 people in front of me in line. So I said, ‘OK, it’s going to be normal,’” said Singh. “After a half an hour, one hour, there were 100 people in back of me in the line. So that’s crazy.”

The mall doors don’t open until 7 a.m. and Singh said it was worse by then.

“There was like 300 people in the line, and they ran,” he said. “When we got here, there was like 70 people in front of us right here, when we were at the end. That’s how it works.”

There is a limited number of appointments, about 120 per day in Charlottetown. The only way to get one is to be first in line at 8 a.m., when the Red Cross office opens.

Despite arriving before dawn, Singh’s appointment wasn’t until 1:30 p.m.

Those who arrive later are told to return early the next day to get an appointment ticket, though a lucky few might get in if there are no-shows.

Not many people have the time to wait all day for a chance to be seen or are able to show up first thing in the morning to get a ticket.

“I am not able to, because I am a single mom of three,” said Tammy Jones. “So that means I would have to go really early.”

Jones didn’t get a ticket Thursday, but says she plans to return Friday.

The Red Cross is making further changes to its operations on P.E.I. to try to deal with the backlog.

“We are in conversations right now with a couple of larger facilities, which will help handle the flow of more people on a daily basis,” said Bill Lawlor, Red Cross NB & PEI Director. “That will be mirrored with an increase in the workforce on the ground.”

Fourty additional staff are expected to be on the island by the beginning of next week and the Red Cross is looking for a new location in Charlottetown.

There was an improvement in wait times last week, but it has been lost.

“Unfortunately, it was more temporary than we were anticipating, due to a couple of factors,” said Lawlor. “One, an increased volume of people coming to the location.”

Another is because the types of visits are also changing. As the weeks drag on since the storm, people are facing more complex needs.

The Red Cross is now also confirming people's identity by video call in an effort to further reduce wait times.

Thirty-seven thousand households have already received the $250 in aid promised by the province. The Red Cross estimates around 11,500 are still waiting to receive the provincial aid dollars.