Thursday, September 29th’s Hurricane Fiona briefing was the last. “We’re now six days out from Hurricane Fiona, the focus here in the provincial coordination centre hasn’t changed,” says Jason Mew of the Emergency Management Office. That focus being clearing trees and debris and getting the power back on. The need for government briefings may be […]
Hurricane Fiona
Posted inNews + Opinion
How to apply for government money after Hurricane Fiona
On Monday, September 26, premier Tim Houston unveiled an assortment of government grants to help those affected by Hurricane Fiona, and the applications for them opened on Thursday. Will getting a $100 cheque two-to-four weeks from now alleviate the misery of several days without electricity? Probably not, but free money is free money—and here’s how […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What’s open (and what’s closed) after the storm
With the worst of Hurricane Fiona behind us, the city is in recovery mode. As of Monday afternoon Nova Scotia Power is reporting almost 175,000 customers without power, and there are still many Halifax roads blocked by fallen trees and debris. (Tuesday evening, that NSP number is down to 117,000 customers.) In other words, it’s […]
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The past is present on the Juanniversary
Hurricane Juan made landfall around Peggys Cove, west of the city’s core by about 40km, on September 28, 2003, wreaking havoc on trees, buildings and power lines. That was 19 years ago, but it might as well have been today. When this Juanniversary Wednesday began, more than 100,000 people were still without power in the […]
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Dal slides HoCo no-no into warm fuzzy Fiona memo
Dalhousie University president Deep Saini was busy Wednesday morning sending out good vibes and thank yous. In a Twitter thread, he put out a touching message about Dal’s resilience through both storm and plague : “We pulled together through the pandemic, and are pulling together after Fiona. It’s a true characteristic trait of our Dal […]
Posted inArts + Music
A eulogy for The Shubie Tree
We belong to each other. That is probably the lesson encased by a cell wall, photosynthesizing into infinity each time someone calls The Shubie Tree “mine.” It fell alone in a field while the rest of us were busy securing shelter. “I saw the tree broken, and my body caved in, like I felt the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Meet one of the workers turning the lights back on in Halifax
Over 100,000 Nova Scotians woke up without power on Tuesday, the fourth day in a row since Hurricane Fiona started shutting things off Friday night. Meanwhile, more than 1,300 power line technicians and forestry techs woke up and hit the streets to continue repairing the grid. “It’s been a very very busy day,” says one […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Monday brings money from the province for storm relief
In the wee hours of my third morning without power, I hear the loudest crack of lightning and rumble of thunder maybe in my life. We just can’t catch a break. Later Monday, in an afternoon news conference, Jason Mew of Nova Scotia’s Emergency Management Office says the thunderstorms that rolled across the province this […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Hurricane Fiona updates the Sunday after the storm
The sounds of whirring chainsaws and buzzing generators are filling the streets of Halifax as the city recovers from Hurricane Fiona, which made landfall as a post-tropical storm near Canso in the early hours of the morning on Saturday. While writing this story I’m surrounded by the sounds of people chatting and eating a much-needed […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Where to find emergency shelter in Halifax during Hurricane Fiona
Emergency shelters are opening Friday afternoon for people living in tents or sleeping rough to stay for the duration of Hurricane Fiona. For people who need to leave their homes, evacuation centres across the municipality will open this evening. Further locations will be announced as needed. Comfort centres will open on Saturday and their locations […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Hurricane Fiona will be “a storm for the ages”
“Historic” is the word Environment Canada meteorologist Bob Robichaud is using to describe the hurricane that’s barreling toward Nova Scotia. “It’s going to be a storm that everyone remembers once it’s all said and done,” he says in a news conference on Thursday afternoon. This sentiment was echoed by John Lohr, the provincial cabinet minister […]
Posted inArts + Music
Updated: What Hurricane Fiona means to Halifax’s weekend plans
Have you bought some bottled water yet? Or figured out how you’ll fill the time once the power goes out? Yep, Hurricane Fiona is on its way—currently forecast to hit Nova Scotia with major wind and rain starting Friday, September 23, with landfall happening near Cape Breton on Saturday, September 24—and will affect Halifax to […]