Hurricane Fiona Hits Port Aux Basques, N.L.: How The Salvation Army Responded

When hurricane Fiona ripped through eastern Canada last September, causing widespread devastation, The Salvation Army stepped in, offering assistance in several provinces. 

One of the hardest-hit communities was Port Aux Basques, N.L., where Dave and Bev Harvey are corps leaders. In this episode of the podcast, Dave and Bev share how the storm impacted the town and their corps, and how the Army responded.

Transcript

Kristin Ostensen  

This is the Salvationist Podcast. I'm Kristin Ostensen. When hurricane Fiona ripped through eastern Canada last September, thousands were impacted. There were widespread power outages, homes destroyed, even lives lost. One of the hardest-hit communities was Port Aux Basques in Newfoundland, where Dave and Bev Harvey are corps leaders. On this episode of the podcast, Dave and Bev share how the storm impacted the town and their corps, and how The Salvation Army responded. Hi, Dave. Hi, Bev. Thanks so much for coming on the Salvationist podcast. How are you doing today?

Dave Harvey  

Doing great, thank you. You know, it's not really nice outside. We got some rain and so forth. But overall, it's nice.

Kristin Ostensen  

I suppose that's par for the course living right on the coast, right?

Bev Harvey  

Yes, for sure.

Kristin Ostensen  

Now, I'm wondering if you can start by sort of taking us back to September. When did you receive the news that hurricane Fiona was coming and that it was going to be a big storm?

Dave Harvey  

Well, basically, it kind of started probably the week or so before, with warnings from our meteorologist, saying that, you know, this this was coming through, it was going to be bad. And so, we kind of had a bit of a heads up in the sense of, we're getting a storm with lots of wind, which is not unusual for Port Aux Basques, you know. It's normal. 120- ,130-kilometre winds are not abnormal for here. And, you know, waves are nothing unusual. But no one expected what Fiona brought on the 24th.

Kristin Ostensen  

No, absolutely not. And were you in town when the storm hit? Or did you manage to take shelter elsewhere?

Bev Harvey  

No, where we're situated, we are sheltered. But we were in town and so quickly went into action to check on our thrift store, which is down right in the centre of it, which it was fine. But then that's when we started to see the devastation of trying to get there. The streets were flooded. People were scrambling. So, we knew then that we had to go into action and help wherever we could.

Kristin Ostensen  

Absolutely. How would you describe the scene in Port Aux Basques immediately after the storm?

Dave Harvey  

Well, some people said it was like a bomb dropped. But actually, that doesn't do it justice. Really, it was like a whole bunch of big tractors and excavators had gone through and just destroyed everything. There were houses all over the place; there were sheds that were everywhere. There was lumber that was everywhere. There were cars that were piled up on top of each other. It was just like, it was a scene that you couldn't believe, you know. Places were gone. What was a house is no longer there. What was a shed is no longer there. And so that, I think, initial—unless you actually saw it and saw the pictures, it's hard to get a concept of what it looked like. It was absolutely terrible.

Bev Harvey  

Actually, pictures don't really do it justice. And I know we had a lot of media coverage and that was bad enough. But to see it real, in real time, that was another story. Because there were no longer backyards, either, like the sea was right to the back of the houses or the shell of the house that was left. So, it was pretty devastating.

Kristin Ostensen  

And I imagine for you as the corps leads there, you know, for you, each house represents a person and a family. And for me, as someone who doesn't live there, I see a house and it's destroyed, and that's devastating and moving. But there must be that personal connection for you folks as well.

Dave Harvey  

Yeah, for us, we had number of our corps people that actually had lost their homes, that were out of their homes and those that were in a hotels. It was just, you know—and you're right. When you look at it, you think of individuals, and during this process, we've got to meet a lot of new individuals that we wouldn't have met otherwise.

Bev Harvey  

Two of the people that were particularly involved in part of our corps are blind. So, their houses, for that to be gone, it was just devastating for them because now their comfort, how they get around. One of the gentleman is blind but he could do things, like, he had last summer built a cement wall by himself at the back of his garden. And even though he's blind, he did that, but that was all washed away. So, it was pretty devastating for him. Fortunately, they both had family to take them in. But still, and even now, it's still a very difficult process for them. So, that's just one example of how it affects people. Another family, their house, it just went in the front door and out the back and just took everything, and yeah, it's pretty devastating. And even now, people are having the flashbacks. And if the weather says it's going to be windy and rain, everybody goes into alert because now they kind of just don't trust the weather report anymore.

Kristin Ostensen  

No, I can imagine. I mean, that kind of thing, it would really stick with you, right? You can't just snap your fingers and not be affected by it anymore.

Bev Harvey  

But I guess the positive part for us—and I guess in whatever disaster there are some positive things—it's been really a connection with the community and the community has really come together. And we've done together whatever we could to make people's lives better, or to help wherever we can. So, you're kind of now on first-name basis with people with town council, things like that. So, they've really done a team effort here, and kudos to them, actually, to come together. 

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, absolutely. And speaking of the response, of course, The Salvation Army was very active in the response. What was the first thing we did? How did we get into action, and when?

Dave Harvey  

Well, actually, our very first process because we are—probably as you would understand and know—part of the governmental CSSD and Red Cross, of course, our MOU says we start feeding. So, obviously, we opened up our hall right away. We got our cooks and our volunteers all came together, and we started serving meals, breakfast, dinner and supper, for the first two weeks, at least for the first two weeks. Well, it went longer than that, but that was the initial. And so that was our initial response: get people up, get them, you know, into a place that's comfortable and warm, where they can chat and have conversation, have some community with all this disaster going on. And plus, the government, the Red Cross, plus the Rangers were here, plus the military was here. So, you know, we were serving, you know, probably eight, nine, probably seven, eight hundred meals per day [Bev: plus delivery], plus deliveries that were going out to the hotel or people were picking up. So, it was quite a task. But, you know, we had amazing volunteers, we had amazing cooks who punched in from six o'clock in the morning till nine o'clock at night, you know, for the first two solid weeks. So, that was our initial response, that's where we started. Of course, then we started getting all this stuff coming in, then you got to try to figure out what to do with that. You know, a tractor trailer full of water; a tractor trailer full of clothes; a tractor trailer full of food. Toilet paper, you know—45 skids of toilet paper. So, you got to figure out what to do with all that process. So yeah, but initially, it was our food, you know—that's what people were, that was our first MOU to get done.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, of course, that makes sense. And I believe the Army was helping out at a warming centre as well.

Dave Harvey  

Yeah, so initially, our first, the very first day actually, the Red Cross couldn't get here or they weren't here. So, they called me, I said yeah. So, we opened up the warming centre, got all the beds in place, got everybody in there and got them set up for the first night. And then after that, the Red Cross took over the responsibility of the centre itself. But our feeding was still, we were still doing that for the folks at the centre.

Kristin Ostensen  

So, you mentioned there was feeding for the first two weeks. Can you describe where it went from there? Did it sort of slowly taper down or?

Dave Harvey  

The third and fourth week, it kind of tapered down. We were still doing the three meals. But obviously people started getting aware of where they were, what was happening to them, where they were going to stay, and so forth. You know, the breakfast wasn't quite as important anymore, so that kind of tapered off. Lunch was still, we're still doing delivery—actually, we’re still doing delivery for breakfast, lunch and supper. So they were still being taken out. And you know, those were in the 125, 130, 140 bracket. You know, in the morning, dinnertime and suppertime. And then in the fourth week, probably in the fourth week, things really tapered off once, you know, people started getting into their friends’ homes. Some people started getting back into their own homes because they were allowed to go back—they were OK. Other people were in hotels. So, that really cut back, so we cut out the breakfast of like we're getting one or two people, to have guys at six o'clock didn't make a whole lot of sense. So, then we cut that back and then lunch really backed off, but we've kept doing our suppers. So, we're still doing, you know, 80, 90, 100 suppers, then that cut back to 60 and 70, then it cut back to 40 and 30. You know, it just kind of teetered off. And the CSSD came out and said, OK, you know, this is completed now on your part. And the meals are now being taken care of by the hotels, and Newfoundland and Labrador Housing are looking after the cost of that.

Kristin Ostensen  

And you mentioned that at the height of the response, of course, you were serving hundreds of people a day. What was the response on the ground? How did people react to the assistance that they were receiving from the Army?

Bev Harvey  

That was amazing, actually. People enjoyed—well, it was a time that they would see their friends, and they would have conversation, and the meals and the part of being able to be welcomed, treated with dignity and respect, and they could share with each other. There was also the pastoral piece. We prayed with a number of people. Of course, every day, there was a new, kind of a new story, or something had happened overnight to them. So, they counted on coming and discussing things and then we would see what supports and if that was spiritual, pastoral, we also included that. So, it was, yeah, that was quite—and I really believe that people kind of returned to the church aspect of how important it is, you know, that is as a comfort. So, we have seen some of that. And some of our people have returned to our church, actually. And I think that's all stemmed a little from how they we’re treated, how they, you know—and so that's great, too. That's a positive spin.

Dave Harvey  

Yeah, and the community response was really received well by the overall community. You know, the thing about this is that I know, we concentrate so much on those who have been affected, whose homes have been lost, whose lives have been all upset. But actually, you know, 4,000-4,200 people in a community, everybody gets affected; everybody feels their neighbours’ need. So, you know, that was a big thing. And they really, the community itself in a whole really came together. They really, you know, respected the fact that the military came in to help, you know, that the Rangers were here to help, you know, that people just got together to help each other, you know, to clean each other's yard, to pick up each other's debris, to find each other’s loved, you know, important mementos. So, all of that, all of a sudden, every community, every person is involved. The thing about it, of course, it didn't only affect us, Port Aux Basques; it affects all the communities besides, around us. So that, you know, that support was also all part of what went out to them as well. You know, so they got the meals; or the, you know, if they wanted clothing, they got clothing; if they wanted some other things, they got that as well. So, it was kind of five communities that were involved. So, it just wasn't only Port Aux Basques, right.

Bev Harvey  

The other thing, too, is that we also took our emergency vehicles and went right on site, down to the water, to the edge of the water, and we served there as well, especially to the military and the Rangers, and anybody who needed it. But Corner Brook, their emergency vehicle came out as well. So, we certainly had the support and the support of The Salvation Army. And that was much appreciated. And then going right down on the on the water site, certainly, people would come up then and just chat. If they hadn't come for a meal, they then came up and then again, there was the spiritual piece—so, being able to comfort and pray with them if needed. So, that was an exciting experience. And actually, our DC, Lt-Colonel Sandra Stokes, she was out one day, and she was down on the waterfront serving from the truck. And that was great to have her support as well. 

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, absolutely. Of course, it was an extremely devastating situation for so many people. But amidst that, did you experience or witness any special sort of “God moments” where you could really see his hand at work?

Dave Harvey  

Yeah. You know, like Bev said, when you're down on the waterfront, you're talking to individuals, you know; there's always an opportunity to speak into someone's life in some way or another. And, you know, a number of times, when I went down there, and the thing about it was that it wasn't only those who lost—you know, they were the neighbours who were next to them. We spoke to an individual, you know, one gentleman was standing up, pouring rain, we were right out having a chat, and he said, you know, he said, “That's my house,” he said, “I lost one piece of siding. That's all I've lost.” He said, “But you know,” he said, “I feel so guilty.” Right? He said, “I feel so guilty because everybody else is gonna lose their homes, and I'm gonna be left there, kind of by myself, with no one around, only my wife.” And he said, “And we don't want to stay. We don't want to stay.” So, we had conversation around that. We talked about the fact, you know, that he shouldn't—I know he does—but you shouldn't feel that way that, you know, you are blessed to have an opportunity to not have anything happen to you, and that your home is still standing, that you still have everything intact. And you know, you know, God doesn't, he doesn't pick and choose; it's just that things happen the way they do. So, we had a conversation around that, we talked, you know. And then, you know, there were some times at the hall when we were serving a meal, you know, you come in, and these guys come in, and most of them are big burly men that, you know, they've lived on the water all their lives; a lot of them, you know, have been in boats, they've done fishing, or, you know, they're in the woods all the time, whatever the case may be. And you go down and put your hand on their shoulder, and all of a sudden, they're crying. So, you have a moment to pray, a moment to talk to them.

Bev Harvey  

I think, too, that they would share with you and you would pray, and the next day, they would come back because whatever they were concerned about had suddenly seemed resolved the next day, or two days later. So, they would come back and say thank you and realize that yes, this is a God moment. God took care of this for me. And you were right, you know, that God would be with me.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, absolutely. Those moments are so beautiful. And how would you describe things now? I mean, you talked a little bit about how people are still kind of struggling a bit. But yeah, where are things sort of at right now with the town and also with the Army?

Bev Harvey  

I wouldn't say it's getting back to normal, because there's no “normal”—it's actually a new normal for them. Some of these that were affected were the seniors, I'd say probably half of them. And they find it so hard and so difficult to ask for help or to accept help. So, convincing them of doing that is, you know—so they’ve started to now accept your services. And the town is, they've had meetings now with the government so there are some plans in how they will get their homes back. So, I think—and it's appropriate for this season—there is hope, there is a feeling of hope. And they’ve seen hope in action. So, sure, some people are still rather frustrated and that's going to be and they have their days. But I think, overall, they basically claim hope and they know that this will be a memory one of those days—not a good one but, you know, they'll see how they came through it. So, each day brings, I think, a new aspect of hope for them, and they know where to go; they know the questions to ask. So, I'm sure there's still a type of PTSD that will flare up at certain times. But I think, overall, as a community, they've grasped the concept of hope. There is hope.

Dave Harvey  

Yeah, I think they've kind of gone through the whole gamut of mourning. You know, you don't see it, you don't expect it, you don’t understand it, you get angry, then you get frustrated. And now, they look at it to a point, well, you know, the government, like Bev said, the government has come out, they've laid down, you know, policies of what's going to happen, you know, what they can expect for the homes that are gone, or what they had, that’s coming down. So, they know the cost of what they're going to get back. So that, you know, gives them the opportunity now to decide, to plan what they're going to do. So, I think for most people right now, it's the resignation that there are those who will be in hotels for the next year. You know, there are those who understand that. There are those who understand that they're going to be going to other communities with family and going—you know, some are gone to Alberta, some are gone to Ontario, some are gone to Nova Scotia for the winter. So, they know that the next six months or whatever will be, you know, with family where they are, and then come spring, they will see how that all looks. You know, there's a big process of, in a small community where there's very little land and mostly rock, trying to find infrastructure in places they could build homes, you know, and put everything in they need. So, that will, too, be a process and people are accepting of that. You know, there are a few that are still waiting on the final decisions on what's happening. And so that's, you know, those conversations, we've had conversation with these folks and, you know, some of them are frustrated just waiting—”Just tell me so I can go stay with my family.” Until they get the final decision, they got to stay where they are, you know, which is in a hotel. And so, that's kind of, you know, if you’ve lived in a three-, four-bedroom house all your life with two people and all of a sudden you're in a one-bedroom hotel with two people, it can become a bit frustrating sometimes. So, but you know, that's where they are. I think most people now are pretty well accepting of the fact of what they've seen, what they have, and winter comes and nobody expects anything to happen in the winter here anyway. So, it's kind of like, spring come and then we'll move on from there. So I think that's where they are at the moment.

Bev Harvey  

I think, too, we have to remember that those homes in a lot of cases were generational, passed down from great-grandfather right on down. So, that part is having an effect on them as well, that now the home is no longer with us, right. So, to have a new home, that's a big start for them. But, like I said, now that they've had some answers, and they know that it's a process, I think, sure, they'll still have their days. But overall, I think it's a hopeful situation.

Kristin Ostensen  

And have Army operations kind of return to normal as well?

Bev Harvey  

We're getting there. We hope our programs will go back to normal in January. Of course, now we’ve gone right into the Christmas season. So, you know what that all entails—our kettles and our toy drive. And so we're in that mode right now. And bake sales and what they normally do at Christmastime. So, we're glad that we're able to get back to that because that also keeps us in touch with the community. And hopefully in January, our regular programming will be in full, full array.

Kristin Ostensen  

That's wonderful. And are there ways that people can still help today if they do want to offer support? Because of course, this is going to be an ongoing situation for quite some time.

Dave Harvey  

Well, the biggest, obviously the thing that will really be probably more than that take us all the way around as finances, monies. Because right now we have more clothing than we know what to do with. You know, we have to figure out what we're going to do with what's left over. You know, we probably got 30 or 40 skids of banana boxes full; we have 40-odd skids of toilet paper and paper towels from Kruger. I have no idea—we've got enough to do the full province, let alone Port Aux Basques! And we've been giving it out in cases. You know, and food items. Of course, the thing about food items is the only thing you can get is non-perishables. And we have a fair amount of that ‘cause we have our food bank here as well. And that's really supported well by locally. So finances, giving monies would be the big thing, because then we can use it to where the need actually comes up. Right?

Bev Harvey  

Because you have, I think, the people affected have accessed the clothing and whatever numerous times. So now, up to the point, we have to remember, too, they can't store things because they don't know where they're going to be. So, they're not going to take summer clothing right now because they have nowhere to put it, right? Household goods. Now, personal products—that really worked out well because we did have personal products coming in as well. People are so generous, and it's great. But we have to remember these people have no storage, nowhere to put things so they can only take their immediate use, right. So that's why we say financially because then we can use it if somebody, I don't know, has a major need like furniture. Or we had this gentleman that was a larger gentleman and had difficulty finding clothes to fit. Then we could use the right financial piece to make sure that he has what he needs. And that was very appreciated by this older gentleman. So it's nice when we know that we have that resource that we can go and provide a personal need. So that's where the finances come into effect.

Kristin Ostensen  

That makes sense. Well, thank you so much for your time today and for sharing about the response. I know we're still praying for you and your community as you continue to go through this. 

Bev Harvey

That's great. Thank you.

Kristin Ostensen

And I wish you a great day.

Bev Harvey  

You too.

Dave Harvey  

Thank you very much. 

Bev Harvey

Thank you.

Kristin Ostensen  

Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Salvationist podcast. For more episodes, visit Salvationist.ca/podcast.