The strong winds, heavy rain and storm surge wreaked havoc for many on Cape Breton Island.

While some dealt with severe damage, others were knee deep in flooded basements

“I come down here a lot actually,” said Glace Bay resident Richard Dean on a cliff overlooking the ocean. “I've never seen anything like this. This is probably the worst I've ever seen it.”

Pounding storm surge flooded the Port Morien wharf while the wind ripped part of the roof off of fish-plant building.

The roof of the ice house was up about 40 feet in the air,” said Paul MacDonald. “The wind took it down this morning.”

Further inland, sump pumps were working overtime.

Chelsea O’Neil was trying to find a way to keep warm after her basement flood, leaving her furnace partially submerged.

Her backyard completely filled with water.

“It reeks of oil, since like 8 this morning and the backyard is a pool,” O’Neil said.

In Glace Bay near the harbor, the winds were strong and the waves incredible. People say they've never seen anything like this and it attracted a large crowd.

“The waves are massive,” said Andrea Spencer. “I love looking at the waves.”

In Sydney, O’Neil says the city isn't doing enough to prevent flooding like this.

“It seems it doesn't matter how much rain we get, we're still flooding,” she said. “All the work they did up top in the brook is making it worse down here. We’re not getting answers as to what’s being done to help us down here.”

O’Neil will have to wait out this latest storm while others are bracing for what may be an extensive cleanup tomorrow.

Meanwhile, in New Brunswick, the storm brought wet, sticky snow – a classic early-winter storm.

“It comes with Canada,” said Lise Martin of Moncton. “This is the weather we have so we have to deal with it.”

The weight of the snow made the chore of shovelling out more difficult.

Even those operating heavy equipment can identify the consistency of the snow

“It’s a wet, heavy, heavy snow,” said snowplow operator Cameron Smith. “It’s a lot of work for these machines to push that snow.”

Making Smith's job even more difficult? Motorists who leave their cars on the street.

“It's hard for us driving around, trying to move around the cars,” Smith said. “You don't want to damage anybody then you leave piles of snow everywhere.”

Moncton's parking ban comes into effect on Saturday. After that, vehicles could be ticketed and towed.

As this storm rolled in, so did a bit of good news for those who are unable to escape the elements. The city announced an unused fire station is being converted into an emergency shelter that will be used until spring.

“We are an emergency shelter so all the other shelters will also be accessed, but when they're full or, again, the person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol this will be where they can come for a safe place to sleep,” said Lisa Ryan the YMCA’s Reconnect Program director.

The shelter will open on Saturday. Good news, because it seems like the snow and cold are here to stay.

As this most recent system rolls out of the region, it's leaving no doubt that we do in fact live in Canada.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore and Jonathan MacInnis.