Islanders leave homes for other accommodations as power outages continue 6 days after Fiona

Islanders who are still without power or water almost a week after post-tropical storm Fiona hit P.E.I. say they've been left with no choice but to leave their homes and find another place to stay.

Maritime Electric said Thursday more than 50 per cent of its customers have now had their power restored. But that still leaves nearly 40,000 homes and businesses without electricity. 

Marieke Caulier said she was prepared to hunker down in her Stratford home while it had no power — but not for this long. Her home has had no electricity or water for six days.

"We had enough water for 48 hours. We filled all our jugs, all of our thermal water bottles so we had drinking water," she said. "We had a fully stocked fridge because we had planned to stay home ... We had to throw out all of our food."

Caulier is now staying at the Arts Hotel in Charlottetown. 

She's not the only local who's checked into a hotel: Several establishments across the city said they're seeing many Charlottetown residents coming and going, looking for power, or a warm shower.

While Caulier only plans to stay at the hotel for a couple of days, she said the break is much needed.

"Talked to mom and told her we need to get out for one or two nights, the four of us, for all these reasons and also our mental health," she said. 

"I've noticed that everybody in my family has been much happier just having these two nights in the hotel, so it was well worth it."

'I've got to find somewhere else to live'

Other Islanders are dealing with even longer-term problems at their homes.

Jake McAleer's roof started to leak after the storm ripped off its shingles, leading to significant water damage inside his apartment. 

"The walls are bubbling out," he said. "In the living room below, it streaks down the wall and hasn't yet bubbled down there. But hopefully it doesn't."

McAleer said he and his landlord are worried about mould. He has a two-year-old son, and said they can't stay there — though he added options are limited and finding a new place would be expensive.

"I slept on the office floor two nights because we have generators," he said. I can't afford to miss work, and I really can't afford to miss work now, because obviously I've got to find somewhere else to live."

McAleer is moving in with family, but he said he's still looking for other options.

Maritime Electric spokesperson Kim Griffin said Thursday that the utility still can't give a specific estimate as to when Islanders will get their power back, but that in some communities it could take until Sunday or Monday.