BONAVISTA, N.L. — Bonavista Mayor John Norman is stressing to residents to stay in their homes, as the town has declared an official state of emergency during the ongoing winter storm.
Norman told The Packet the main reason for the decision was due to poor road conditions, high winds and storm surge warnings with potential coastal flooding.
While there has been no reported structural damage in the community, winds have already been clocked at over 120-kilometres per hour and are expected to increase in velocity.
In addition, storm surge concerns have seen the sea level heights increase in Harbour Pond and in Mockbeggar.
“We have seen storm surge in the last couple of years worse in those areas, and we are concerned that those two areas may overflow,” said Norman.
He says the town has also been in talks with Eastern Health and no staff within their local health facilities can leave the building, with no new staff able to come in for replacement.
“Everyone is now housed,” he said. “All vehicles must be off the road. Our plows are off the road, there is no one on the road. If you go out, you’re trapped. We can’t come to get you.”
In cases of emergencies, Norman says they’re directing people to call 911, which will notify not only an ambulance but also plow operators.
That being said, Norman adds the town is currently having difficulty providing plow escorts for ambulances.
“We are dealing with one right now and we have yet to reach the patient.”
While there have been some minor power outages in the community, Norman says he believes there were some short losses with power coming back quickly.
With the state of emergency having been called at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, it will stay in effect until officially lifted. Norman says this will be as long as it needs to be.
They’re assuming it will take at least 12 hours before it can be lifted, if not more.
Norman says they plan on giving an update tonight after a joint teleconference with provincial Fire and Emergency Services and other towns and cities in the same boat as Bonavista about next steps.
“Snowclearing is already a major problem … we have a lot of snow already on the ground for this early in the season. Widening the roads is going to be a major problem, we were already trying to do that this week in anticipation of forecasts getting worse and worse.”
He says, for that reason, they’re continuing to urge residents to stay off the roads and out of the way of snowclearing efforts.
Once the emergency is lifted, if there are problems with power service in the community, Bonavista advises they have an emergency generator at the town hall, an emergency site at Bonavista Hospital and would be in touch with the local Salvation Army as well.
“We have multiple locations to draw on if required, but right now, as I’m explaining to residents, a warming station is no use if you can’t reach it and there is no way in current conditions that anyone can leave their home safely.”
