Acadian Peninsula residents knock on Red Cross's door, a day before headquarters open
Volunteers from across Canada will look after people at the Inkerman Community Centre starting Wednesday
People were already knocking on the door of the Red Cross's temporary headquarters at the Inkerman Community Centre Tuesday, even though the registration post on the Acadian Peninsula doesn't open until Wednesday morning.
By Saturday, over 600 families had registered with the organization. That's 1,455 people and volunteers expect another influx of registrants in the coming days.
"Our assistance is for the most vulnerable among the population," said volunteer Denis Cormier. "Once we get their information, we do an assessment of their needs."
The response to those needs depends on several factors, including the number of people affected in each home, and how long they were without power.
The Red Cross's emergency assistance is intended to help with outage-related losses not covered by insurance or the provincial program. This includes handing out cash cards to some of the clients.
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"Even before we opened, we have people showing up and wanting some assistance," said Cormier on Tuesday evening. "So we're expecting a good turnout."
Volunteers from across Canada
The Red Cross has brought in a team to help with the registration and processing of clients, including volunteers from Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.
They plan to stay at least until the weekend to process people in need.
Those who don't qualify for Red Cross assistance, will be redirected to someone who can help.
"They're not necessarily going to be turned back," said Cormier.
"What we want to do is connect them with other programs that will be able to assist them or even other agencies that can assess them in their own community."
Organizers also have their eye on an incoming storm system Wednesday morning.
"In terms of our service centre here, we'll have to assess," said Cormier.
"If the roads aren't safe, we won't open. We will re-open when it is safe."
Donations to the Red Cross to help those impacted by the storm can be made online or by calling 1-800-418-1111.
People should specify their donation is for New Brunswick Ice Storm 2017.