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Canadian News September 26, 2022

Promo Firms in Atlantic Canada Press Forward After Fiona’s Damaging Strike

One death has been reported, and hundreds of thousands of people remain without power. So far, promo firms in the area have say they’ve been fortunate to avoid the worst and plan to move forward with business.

By  Sara Lavenduski

What some are calling a once-in-a-lifetime storm slammed into Atlantic Canada over the weekend, downing trees and utility poles, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands and sweeping homes into the sea amid extensive flooding.

Hurricane season

Post-tropical cyclone Fiona, which wreaked havoc on islands like Puerto Rico earlier in the week, made landfall on Nova Scotia early Saturday morning with hurricane-force winds of nearly 100 mph (160 km/h). “It’s shocking the damage that we’re seeing,” said Premier Tim Houston over the weekend.

A 6-foot storm surge hit Prince Edward Island, causing what authorities say is the worst damage the province has ever experienced.

Approximately 500,000 homes are without power across Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Québec. Utility companies expect repairs to take multiple days, according to Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg. Certain authorities said the damage is so significant it could take months to restore critical infrastructure.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadian Armed Forces will be deployed to help with cleanup. Iles-de-la-Madeleine, as well as the Gaspé region of Québec and Québec City, also saw coastal damage from winds and storm surge.

There have been numerous eyewitness accounts of buildings being swept out to sea, particularly in Channel-Port aux Basques on the southwest coast of Newfoundland, where a woman drowned after a wave struck her home. The idyllic town has been almost completely destroyed, according to Mayor Brian Button, who likened it to “a war zone.”

Across Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador, ASI has nearly 30 listed suppliers and distributors. Of those ASI Media was able to get in touch with so far, most said they had little damage and plan to open normally on Monday, Sept. 26.

“Our office is in Halifax, NS, and in a fairly safe area with no flooding risk,” Gordon Powell, president of Safeguard Halifax (asi/495952), told ASI Media before the storm hit. “We plan to open Monday but are monitoring the situation.”

It’s a similar situation for May Day Group (asi/264503) in Fredericton, NB. Beth Crowell, owner and CEO, said the business expected stormy conditions but no major impact. “We’re fine,” she told ASI Media on Saturday afternoon. “No power loss and no damage, just some wind and rain. We’ll be open Monday.”

Peter Banga, president of SunScarf International (asi/90159) in Brockway, NB, said the company is also located far enough away that they didn’t sustain any damage. “We’re located inland near Maine,” he told ASI Media on Sunday, a day after the storm made landfall. “We were spared the brunt of the storm.”

The first few months of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season saw sparse storm activity. But in recent weeks, things have started to intensify. Fiona caused island-wide flooding and power/water outages in Puerto Rico, where promo products firms were impacted.

Now, the entire state of Florida is under a state of emergency as it prepares for the arrival of Tropical Storm Ian, which is strengthening and could hit the Gulf Coast of the state this week as a hurricane.