Fewer stayed at P.E.I. shelters than expected during weekend storm

Emergency shelters in Charlottetown and Summerside were under capacity during the weekend snowstorm that shut down many streets and services on P.E.I.

According to the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, 46 people stayed at the Park Street shelter in Charlottetown overnight on Sunday, 40 overnight on Saturday and 44 overnight on Friday. It has 50 beds.

The shelter in Summerside, which has 10 beds, had five or six people throughout the weekend, said support worker Megan Chant.

Chant herself was stormstayed at the shelter.

"We shovelled the driveway and walkway about like 15 times yesterday. It kept filling in," she said.

"It hasn't been very busy. Actually, it's been a little bit slower than anticipated."

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CBC P.E.I.'s Tracy Lightfoot dug out her snowshoes as a brutal winter snowstorm hit the Island for a third straight day. Here's what her commute to the office looked like.

The Bedford MacDonald House men's shelter n Charlottetown also had room over the weekend, said Martin Dutton, executive director of the Salvation Army Homelessness Services.

"This may seem strange, given the weather, but individuals receiving social assistance, who normally access a shelter space, sometimes make other arrangements as they have funds to do so. Anecdotally, we also know that some find that they have friends and relatives who will still help during the worst weather although find it difficult to do so on a continuing basis."