At the risk of perpetuating the stereotype about Islanders and how they love to talk about the weather, I just have to write about the ice storm and its effect on our little home province. I travelled to Alberton for work today so I got to see the devastation all along the highway firsthand. I know "devastation" is a pretty strong word, but you only have to think about how many people are cold, house-bound, and possibly hungry because of this storm and it seems an appropriate term.
I was travelling with two co-workers and the three of us were emotionally overwhelmed all along the way. We saw hundreds of houses in darkness, many driveways blocked with fallen power lines, and too many broken tree limbs to count. We also saw crew after crew of linesmen working diligently to fix this huge tangled mess of broken poles and snapped power lines. I can only imagine how overwhelmed they must feel to see the work that lies before them. I saw footage of the same on the news tonight, but I don't know if I personally would understand the magnitude of this if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
The positive side of this story? I am equally overwhelmed with pride in the people of the Island. Because today we also heard story after story of people checking in on their neighbours, local stores donating food and supplies, community volunteers cooking hot meals for anyone who needs them, and people bringing hot coffee to the linesmen. People care and do whatever they can think of to help. We may like to talk a lot about the weather, but we're also ready to take care of each other when that weather causes havoc and hardship.
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