N.B. residents brave high waters as Fiona whips eastern shore
What was supposed to be a weekend getaway for Erika Biggs and her family ended with a last minute evacuation of their cottage to escape the storm surge in Pointe-du-Chêne Saturday.
They made it out with help from the Shediac Fire Department, but the water was so high that one of the family cars had to be left behind.
"We were on vacation at a cottage and we got flooded," said Biggs, adding the cottage is on Gary Avenue.
"My car is still there — ruined. We got this one out because it was higher, but there's water in [it]," she said, while scooping water out of the back seat.
"The fire department of Shediac was amazing. They came and got us and helped. Absolute, absolute wonders. Thank you so much," said Biggs.
Eastern N.B. bore the brunt of post-tropical storm Fiona when it made landfall in Atlantic Canada early Saturday morning.
The storm knocked out power to more than 50,000 N.B. Power customers across the province, with the majority of those concentrated in the southeast region.
WATCH | Hear a mother thank rescuers in Shediac, N.B.\:
Bonnie Beers watched as storm surge waters slammed over the tide break along Pointe-du-Chêne Road, and created a large pool on her front lawn early Saturday morning.
"It was a wild night," she said.
Beers said no flood damage happened to the inside of her home, however, it was the first time she's seen a storm surge force so much water onto her property.
Lisa Wadup also lives in Pointe-du-Chêne, and was monitoring the height of storm surge waters that were creeping up the road where she lives.
"It's coming up 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue and I'm on 3rd Avenue and Brydges Street and so it could come," she said, adding that she had some possessions packed up ready to leave.
Wadup noted that emergency crews were also on-scene, monitoring the water and responding where needed.
"Everybody was very prepared and the services were very good," she said.
"And we've been through this before, at least most people who live here have been through this before so they sort of know what to do. And I'm sure some people won't leave — they'll just stay."
