'30 days later, nothing's getting done': Frustration grows as Fiona cleanup drags on

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It's been a month since post-tropical storm Fiona tore through Atlantic Canada, but some residents and politicians are concerned by the slow pace of cleanup.

"If you've ever watched movies where it's like a war and something blew up and you see the damage to sides of houses, that's kind of what it looks like," said Kim Losier, a resident of Glace Bay, N.S.

Losier sees doors off of their hinges, house debris sitting on streets and lawns, and whole roofs missing from homes — including her own.

What she doesn't see enough of is debris cleanup from non-community members.

"We have insurance. They've said yes, your claims have been approved," she told The Current. "But 30 days later, nothing's getting done because there's no one to work."

People need help right now.... Just stop with the bureaucracy, get on with the action.- Amanda McDougall, mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality

It's not just insurance providers. Losier said contractors aren't even entertaining calls to her neighbourhood for the time being.

"They don't even ask you your address," she said. "They just tell you straight up they don't have anybody. So I don't even think they care."

Losier said Cape Breton needs all of the help it can get, from electricians and plumbers to construction workers and contractors.

But for the time being, it's feeling like a sheltered community.

"It doesn't matter where you live on the island. If you're on the island, you're not getting anything done," she said.

Amanda McDougall, mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality, says her community was forced to come together to pull itself out of Fiona's mess — largely without provincial help.

"My staff [reached] out to the provincial coordination team, only to get an email back — an automated response — saying, 'Oh, we've closed down their command centre; it's no longer needed,'" she told The Current.

"You're left thinking, like, Fiona is not over. This is still happening. Could you have not given us a heads up that you're shutting down your provincial command centre on this weather event?" 

She's now concerned the region's sense of togetherness in Fiona's immediate aftermath has "fizzled away."

"It's just so infuriating because people need help right now," she said. "Just stop with the bureaucracy, get on with the action."

The Current reached out to the Government of Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia's Emergency Management Office, but did not receive a reply.

In an Oct. 27 news release, Brian Comer, MLA for Cape Breton East, said provincial staff are preparing to do more work to remove downed trees and clean up debris caused by Fiona.

Speaking on behalf of Nova Scotia Natural Resources and Renewables Minister Tory Rushton, Cormer said provincial staff "already did tremendous work clearing the way to restore power, including some help clearing trees on private land, and we're deploying them again to help those most in need."

The situation has forced some residents to take matters into their own hands, like Edward Spencer.

"I'm doing most of [the work]," he said. "I got all [my roof] boards off, and as you see, I piled it up there, what I could do."

"But, like, I'm not even supposed to be doing this stuff, but I do it anyway." 

Returning home

Losier and her teenage son are currently staying at a friend's place. She hopes she'll be able to return home by Christmas.

She considers herself to be one of the lucky ones, given her insurance and her small family size.

"I say that because [there are] families out there with four or five children, and what are they going to do, stay in that one room that I was offered?" she said. "How would you put a family of five in one room indefinitely?"

"I may not have my home to go to, but me and my kid are OK. All I want is a new roof and to come home."

Even so, she's still stressed at the slow pace of the cleanup.

"For the first week, it's like, OK," she said. "But now … you're tired and you just want to go home. But I don't have a home — at least, not one I can be in."

Produced by Mary-Catherine McIntosh.