CommunityCouncil

Paradise picks up after Larry

By Chris Lewis/September 23, 2021

Now that they’ve had over a week to clean up – and deal with a second storm on top of it – Paradise council took a moment to catch up with a damage report on Hurricane Larry Tuesday.

Councillor Sterling Willis said the storm provided plenty of headaches for residents and town staff alike. He reported downed fences, power lines and trees all over the Northeast Avalon, to which Paradise was not exempt. He said the storm made for a weekend full of repair work and damage control.

“As usual, the Town’s public works staff did a great job of getting our facilities back to an operational status,” Willis said.

The storm also served as an opportunity to observe the regional emergency services to the area in action, he added.

Willis said officials from the provincial safety and emergency services were in constant contact with the Town throughout the weekend of the hurricane, and were ready to act should the need for their services arisen.

“Storms such as Hurricane Larry can pose problems, they’re also an opportunity to exercise emergency operational procedures to ensure things are ready the next time such an event comes our way,” he pointed out.

Councillor Deborah Quilty continued the damage assessment by presenting a report from the public works department.

“Over the past week, our public works department have been extremely busy clearing debris and fallen trees that had impacted our walking trails and road infrastructure,” she said.

Along with Town staff, she said, many residents had to deal with fallen trees and branches on their own properties. In response, the Town opened up a free yard debris drop-off site at 619 St. Thomas Line, right next to the treatment plant.

This drop off location was made available 24-hours of the day from the 10th to the 17th, but there were still residents who were unable to take advantage of this drop off, according to Quilty.

“Therefore, a special yard debris collection was offered by appointment only,” she noted, adding the appointments were coordinated through the public works department. Some 50 residents took advantage of the extended service.

The cleanup process, Quilty said, also meant that some trails and roads had to be temporarily closed off for the safety of both the public and the Town’s employees.

“The department appreciates the cooperation and the understanding from residents over the past week,” Quilty said.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *