People living in tent encampments hit hard by weekend storm in Nova Scotia

While other residents of Cape Breton hunkered down to ride out the weekend snowstorm, Tanya Ellsworth huddled in a tent with her boyfriend and cat with only candles to help keep the cold winds at bay.

Speaking onCBC Radio's Information MorningCape Breton, Ellsworth said she has been living in a tent on an access road in the woods in Sydney since September.

Ellsworth said during the storm she had to go to the storeto get food and it took her three hours to walk to the main road.

"I was going togo down to the Ally Centre, actually, but I have no way to get the cat out to the main road," she said. "I wouldn't leave her, you know."

According to Ellsworth, the snow outside her tent was up to her shoulder.

Even if she had wanted to stay in a municipal shelter during the storm it may not have been possible.

Most places inthe Cape Breton Regional Municipality normally used for shelters were not accessible because of the heavy snowfall and there were no volunteers to help people, Bruce MacDonald, CBRM'smanager of emergency management, told Information Morning Cape Breton.

Isolated by storm

Like many vulnerable people, the historic storm presentedEllsworthwith challenges that many other people do not face during severe weather events.

It's a situation that Stephen Wilsack saw firsthandduring the storm.

Wilsack isco-founder of Sleep On It, which provides supplies to people living in tents. He spent the weekend at the tent encampment at Grand Parade in Halifax.

Residents of the encampment were cold and frustrated during the storm, Wilsack told CBC Radio's As it Happens.

He said many people were without medicine, some were without food and many had a tough time getting to the outhouses during the storm.

Emotional distress

Wilsack said some people at the encampment were suffering extreme emotional distress over the weekend.

"We're here, and we want to make sure that people from Nova Scotia that are vulnerable are protected," Wilsack said.

"But it wears on you, and we just need help. And we all need help in order to make this go away."

As It Happens6:44This is inhumane, says Halifax encampment volunteer after historic storm

Stephen Wilsack is the co-founder of Sleep On It, an organization that provides supplies for people living in tents in Halifax. He spent the weekend working with people who live at the Grand Parade encampment near city hall during the provinces worst snowstorm in 20 years. He spoke to As It Happens host Nil Kksal.

People who are experiencing homelessness or food insecurity still need assistanceduring severe weather events, saidMichelle Porter, the co-founder of Souls Harbour Rescue Mission. The organization operates centres in Halifax, Bridgewater, Sackville and Truro,with plans to open another in North Sydneyby summer.

Porter said on Saturday, in the midst of the storm, dozens of people showed up at the mission's Cunard Street centre in Halifax for a hot meal.

"It did surprise me that30 people showed up for lunch on Saturday at Souls Harbour," Porter said. "It just shows youthat the needs are very prevalent."

The Souls Harbour warming centre in Bridgewater was also operating during the storm, she said.

Porter saidher organization doesn't have an outreach program that could navigatethe streets during the storm. She said that means a lot of people would have gone hungry for up to two days.

HRMregistry for vulnerable residents

Following post-tropical storm Fiona, the Halifax Regional Municipality set up thevoluntary vulnerable persons registry.

The registrycollectsinformation from people in the community to help support thosewith disabilities, mobility problems, cognitive impairment or mental illnessesduring extreme weather and other crises.

Gerry Post, an accessibility advocate, told Mainstreet Nova Scotia on Mondaythis was the first major test of the registry and he was amazed by how many messages he received during the storm checking on his welfare.

Post, who uses a wheelchair, said he has been meeting with provincial officials toencourageother municipalities to get registry systems.

"I would like to see sort of common standards on this so that there can be interoperability between the various municipalities," Post said.

"So that we have a whole federation of these municipal systems because they must be operated locally, butthey should be linked together in case there is a massive emergency."

Speaking at aMonday news conference, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said municipalities and communities have a better understanding about residents'needs.

Houston said friends and neighbours looking out for each other were the province's "first line of defence" during times of crisis.

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