Speaking to reporters today with the Emergency Management Agency, Bill Hogan, the public safety minister, singled out the coastal areas, especially around Cap-Pelé. “We could expect there to be some damage,” Hogan said. “How much damage is impossible to say right now because we don’t know how strong the winds will be. Some boats are removed from the water at Shediac Marina. (Pierre Fournier/CBC) “We don’t know if it will dissipate a little more before it makes landfall.” Hogan said his biggest concern is making sure people are taking the storm seriously and “batting down the hatches.” He said the storm shouldn’t be taken lightly, but he thinks New Brunswick will fare better than Cape Breton and parts of Prince Edward Island. Hogan also reminded residents to be prepared. “We’re there to help communities, to help people, but they also have to be responsible for themselves,” Hogan said. The Emergency Management Agency is monitoring the situation from the Canadian Hurricane Centre, he said, and is ready to step up the response as needed, especially if the storm’s track changes. Roger Caissie, mayor of Shediac, said he spoke with EMO officials earlier Thursday. Caissie said they are doing everything they would normally do in a normal storm. In the event of a power outage, the generator runs in the city’s multi-purpose center and this space will be used for heating if needed. Since the storm is set to hit Friday through Saturday, it will coincide with a period of high tide, which could cause problems in low-lying areas along the coast, according to Mayor Shediac Caissie. (Pierre Fournier/CBC) City infrastructure, storm sewers, canals and ditches are being checked to make sure nothing is blocked, Caissie said. Staff will be on standby and firefighters on standby. And a lot of boats are moving away from the water, Caissie said. “We’re not taking any chances in that regard,” he said. For boats that can’t be moved, Caissie said the Shediac Bay Yacht Club has been remodeled to provide more stability, hoping to cause less of an impact on those left on the water. Gerry O’Brien, director of the yacht club, said they have been sending out newsletters to members since the start of the week. He said while there is no mandatory evacuation order for the boats, many people have chosen to remove them as a precaution. The club went from having nearly 90 boats on the water at the start of the week to under 20 now, he said. Gerry O’Brien, director of the Shediac Bay Yacht Club, said they had been sending information to members about the storm since the beginning of the week. (Gary Moore/CBC) “People remember Dorian in 2019,” O’Brien said. “People don’t want to be in the same situation.” He said people are slowly getting ready for Fiona, but they are not panicking. O’Brien said they plan to get as many boats out of the water as possible tomorrow. Caissie said since the storm is set to hit Friday through Saturday, it will coincide with a period of high tide, which could cause problems in low-lying areas along the coast. Shediac Mayor Roger Caissie hopes the power outages won’t be too severe. (Gary Moore/CBC) “These property owners [who] they’re on the shoreline, they’ve been there for many years,” Caissie said. “They’ve seen this before, they’re taking the necessary precautions.” He said the city is “as ready as we can be.” Caissie recommends residents keep extra batteries on hand and charge cell phones in advance. She also recommends cleaning gutters and storing patio furniture. “Hopefully the power outages won’t be as bad, but that’s Mother Nature letting us know.”
