Nearly one week after Fiona, the clean-up continues in Cape Breton
Major clean-up efforts continue in Cape Breton on Friday as many on the island remain in the dark.
Some residents have been left in limbo with damages adding up and not enough help.
Just ask Johnny Parsons. Looking over the damage done to his Glace Bay home, what’s left of his roof now sits in his neighbour’s yard on the next street over.
“My whole upstairs is gone,” he tells CTV Atlantic. “It’s all rotted off, soaking wet. My beds are all gone. I’m now sleeping at my sister-in-law’s place.”
Parsons says he’s been left in limbo with no insurance. He’s not sure what his next move will be.
“[Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau was in my house and he said it will be looked after,” he said. “Whether that happens, I don’t know.”
Across town, many people are about to go into their second week without power.
Sheri Burns is getting married next weekend and has family traveling to Nova Scotia in just a few days.
“To get everything ready in the house, food-wise -- we lost everything in our freezers -- to get the house ready itself to host company, it’s kind of impossible,” she said.
At a nearby local restaurant, the power might be out but inside, staff are powering through to prepare hot meals.
“We’re preparing grilled haddock with mashed potatoes, carrots and peas for the Glace Bay Miners Forum,” said restaurant owner Frankie Martin.
The forum has now been turned into a comfort centre for many in Glace Bay to get a hot meal and charge devices.
Martin has been providing food -- more than 1,300 dinners have been delivered -- even though his family business has been closed because of Fiona.
“It’s just a way to give back to Glace Bay because they have supported us for the last 18 years,” Martin said.
Back at Parson’s property, he’s worried he will lose his home.
“I love it here,” he said. “I’m here 40-some years now. I got an ocean-view, but I’m on pension now and I can’t afford it. I need help, a lot of help.”
Nova Scotia Power says 63 per cent of customers in Cape Breton have been reconnected. But many on the island will remain without power Friday evening, with restoration times for some not until next week.
Correction
This article has been edited to correct the term “left in limbo,” used in the second paragraph.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
LIVE @ 1:15 PT B.C. premier to give announcement related to public drug use
B.C.'s premier is scheduled to give an update Friday about public drug use in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.