On September 24, 2022, post-tropical storm Fiona made landfall in Canada, tearing through the Atlantic coast. Storm Fiona brought with it strong winds and storm surges, causing incredible damage to homes and businesses, knocking down trees and power lines, and in some cases forcing evacuations. Communities like Port aux Basques and Cape Breton were particularly hard hit and across the Atlantic region more than 400,000 homes were without power the day after the storm made landfall.
400,000+ WITHOUT POWER
160 KM/H WINDS
5 PROVINCES AFFECTED
GlobalMedic responded immediately by mobilizing volunteers to pack Clean Up Kits. Our Clean Up Kits contain household cleaning supplies, garbage bags, gloves, and masks to help families with the arduous process of cleaning up a home flooded by storm surge. These kits are packaged in buckets to further assist with moving stagnant water out of the home. Getting these items into the hands of vulnerable families quickly is key for them to get back in their homes as soon as possible. We sent initial shipments to Port aux Basque and Cape Breton by air, following up with additional kits sent by truck to Nova Scotia. We were able to support 714 households with Clean Up Kits.
Additionally, we are working to support local food banks as they have seen a rush of clients accessing their services due to the storm. With an already high demand for food bank services, many organizations find their stockpiles low. We sent nearly 30,000 pounds of food from our McAntony’s Menu program to help fill this gap in Nova Scotia. GlobalMedic volunteers dedicated their time to taking bulk 50lbs bags of food and re-packing it into smaller 500g bags. By purchasing in bulk and utilizing volunteers to re-pack, we are able to produce a bag of food for a family for a third to a quarter of the retail price.
