Rain pours through ceiling of Cape Breton family's Fiona-damaged home

WESTMOUNT, N.S. -

Wet weather throughout the Maritimes is exposing problems created by Hurricane Fiona for some homeowners still awaiting financial support for repairs.

Thomas Lynk's daughters can no longer sleep in their room, after the ceiling collapsed from water damage due to Fiona.

“It tore the roof right off. The shingles are off and the boards are weak. I went up there several times to try and fix it, but it's not fixable. It has to be replaced,” said Thomas, who lives in Westmount, N.S.

On Monday, buckets were being used to keep Lynk's house dry as water poured through several spots in his living room ceiling.

“I'm filling the buckets every 20 minutes to a half-hour. It fills the buckets,” he said.

Lynk, his wife, and three small children have been waiting for assistance since the storm hit nearly five months ago.

The family doesn't have insurance and has applied for government funding. However, help has yet to arrive.

Every time it rains, their anxiety level goes up.

“I worry every day. If the water gets too bad in this house it can really mess up the electrical and we will have no house to live in,” said Lynk.

Lynne McCarron, the CEO of United Way Cape Breton, says there are still lots of people still in need of assistance.

The Mennonite Disaster Service, a volunteer group that was helping repair roofs, left before the holidays. The problem now is finding resources to do the work.

“We don't work directly with individuals, we work with charities and so we need that partnership and that collaborative piece to be able to continue to help the individuals that would be still struggling from Fiona,” said McCarron.

Meanwhile, the Lynk family can only wait and hope damage from each passing storm doesn’t eventually leave them homeless.