Body of missing woman found as southwestern Nfld. grapples with Fiona aftermath

As residents in southwestern Newfoundland deal with the aftermath of post-tropical storm Fiona, the body of a missing woman has been recovered in the waters off Port aux Basques.

In a statement, the RCMP said officers located and recovered the woman's bodyshortly before 4 p.m. NT, along with the assistance ofthe Canadian Coast Guard and the Stephenville and Barachois search and rescue teams.

A73-year-old woman was reported missing Saturday morning after she was washed out of her home in Port aux Basques. Her body is now being transported to the office of the chief medical examiner for further examination.

Her home was among the more than 20 that were destroyed hundreds of people are still displaced as the storm leftboulders and debris scattered across the community.

Residents were using shovels to digthrough the rubble on Sunday, looking for anything salvageable. Some have lost everything, including heirlooms and family photos. One woman ran away from her home sobbing, unable to bear the devastation any longer.

Derek Kettle, a Port aux Basques resident, said he doesn't know what he's going to do.

He owns two small apartment buildings near the coaston Mouse Island, an area in the town. He said the tenant in one of the buildings, which is two storeys, attempted to weather the storm on the upper floor of the building but soon, waves began crashing against the window, which is about 10 metres above sea level.

On Sunday morning, the bottom floor was covered in seaweed, dirt and debris.

The storm surge knocked Kettle's other apartment building, which is one storey,off its foundation and onto its side.

He said he's put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the buildings, which herentsout as Airbnbs and apartments. He said the buildings are the only source of income for him and his wife, and now his livelihood has been swept away literally.

Catastrophic damage

On Sunday morning, CBCmeteorologist Ashley Brauweiler said while the winds in Port aux Basques were significant, the bulk of the damage was caused bystorm surges.

"When it came in, it came in so fast," she said.

She said models predicted 16-metre waves, but the maximum wave height may have been double.

"All of that combined was catastrophic," she said.

Brauweiler said residents have been in shock, and some on Sunday still won't even be able to access their homes or whatever is left because some areas are still inaccessible.

Environment Canada meteorologist Melissa Field said the storm set a recordfor water levels inPort aux Basques at 2.73 metres about a metre higher than the normal water level.

On Saturday, Fields said,peak gusts reached 177 km/h in the Wreckhouse area, 134 km/h in Port aux Basques, 110 km/hin Burgeoand 109 in Stephenville.

She said about 77 millimetres of rain fell in the Port aux Basques and Wreckhouse areas, just over 47 millimetres fell in the Stephenville area and just over 30 fell in the Burgeo area.

'I have never seen this kind of destruction'

Stephen Hiscockofthe Burgeo Broadcasting Systemsaid Burgeo has suffered significant damage, though not on the same level as Port aux Basques.

"It's been a pretty crazy day for everyone, especially for people in Port aux Basques, but people are still hurting here in Burgeo as well," he said.

He said one home was almost lost, but made it through the storm.

"I have never seen this kind of destruction on the south coast of Newfoundland," he said.

Hundreds of Newfoundland Power customers in southwestern Newfoundland were without power on Sunday morning.

Ian Stewart, mayor of Ramea, an island community off Newfoundland's south coast, said the town is cleaning up debris and assessing damage Sunday morning. He said the town has never seen a storm as intense as post-tropical storm Fiona.

"It's pretty incredible,"he said.

Stephenville Mayor Tom Rose said post-tropical storm Fiona was the scariest storm he's ever seen. He said the town mitigated the most severe damagebut had to evacuate one home before a tree fell on top of it.

He said the town has offered its help to Andrew Parsons, the MHA for the Port aux Basques area.

Rose said the devastation wreaked by the storm shows the increasingly severe impact of climate change.

"If we don't take care of the planet the planet will take care of us," he said.

The beginning of the rebuild

Parsons, also the minister of industry, energy and technology,is from Port aux Basques and was heading back to the region. He saidSunday that the community is in a state of shock.

"It's a disaster like we've never seen before," said Parsons. "I don't think any of us [were] prepared or have seen anything like this."

"Everybody is on deck saying, 'Whatever can be done, will be done,'" said Parsons. "Right now, I think it's a case of assessing the damage, assessing the totality of it. I think we're just focused onrecovery. We're just trying to connect people with who they need to be connected with. Figure out who is displaced, who needs help. It's the beginning of the recovery."

WATCH | CBC's Ashley Brauweiler details Fiona's destrucion

The scene in Port aux Basques, N.L., as it grapples with Fiona's aftermath

2 years ago

Duration 2:21

The aftermath of post-tropical storm Fiona in Port aux Basques, N.L., was striking on Sunday morning, with boulders and debris scattered across the community. More than 20 homes were destroyed completely, while others suffered catastrophic damage.

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