Financial assistance coming for Magdalen Islands residents hard hit by Fiona

Quebec is offering financial compensation to peoplewhosehomes or businesses were damagedon the Magdalen Islands whenpost-tropical storm Fiona battered the area Saturday.

Incumbent Public Security MinisterGenevive Guilbault made the announcement while inCap-aux-Meuleson Sunday, saying those who live on the islands and some businesses will be eligible. Those with vacation homes may not be.

It's too early right now to say how many homes on the islands were damaged by the strong winds and flooding, she said. The cost of the damage is also still being determined.

"We will cover anything that wasn't insured that was damaged by the flooding in the storm," she said, addingpublic security officials willsetup an office onthe islands to makeassessments.

Speaking at a newsconference Sunday, acting mayor of the islandsRichard Leblanc had nomajor damageto note.

The storm ended around 10 p.m. Saturday on the islands in the Gulf of St.Lawrence, with winds surpassing 150 km/htimes.About 40 people were relocated as a preventive measure.

"There were no fatalities, no injuries. That's the most important thing," Guilbaultsaid earlier that morning. "We are going into recovery mode for the Magdalen Islands."

The islands havebeen under a state of emergency since Friday,which is expected to be lifted by 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

All weather warnings have been lifted in the Magdalen Islands and the Gasp region since the storm as well, thoughthe region around Blanc-Sablonis still under a tropical cyclone warning as Fiona heads north.

Roads on the islands, including Route 199, have since reopened. Residents are also no longer being asked to limit their use of drinking waterand municipal building are reopening.

By Sunday afternoon, about 20customers in the Gasp region and Magdalen Islands were still without electricity. At the peak of the storm, nearly 7,000 clients were without power.

Seaside shops cleaning up

Anabelle Chevrier's parents own aseaside jewlery store in La Grave. Damagefrom high waves during the storm couldcosttens of thousands of dollars, she said.

The shop'swalls and floor will have to be replaced, and it also needs to be rewired. They'll have to closetheir doors earlier than they were hopingthis seasonto take care of the damage, she said.

"The ocean came and just threw everything on the floor," she said, addingabout 30 centimetres of water flooded the store.

No major damages in Perc

Bruno Gamache, director of public works of Perc, said the city was spared from flooding and major damage.

One person lost their roof due to strong winds, he said.Workers will be clearing roads blocked by felledtreesin the coming days.

Grant Radley-Walters spent much of Saturday evening picking up the trees that had fallen onto his property.

"It was fierce and unrelenting," hesaid."The fence is blown over, the lilac trees you can see here are just flattened."

His vacation home in Perc has been in the family for more than a century, but hesays he's never seen a storm quite like this one in all his summers here.

"You could not go out, not until it had calmed somewhat," Radley-Walters said,at around 4 p.m. Saturday.

Radley-Walters was without power for 24 hours, only regaining electricity Sunday morning.