The federal government is mobilizing the Armed Forces to help Newfoundland and Labrador dig out from the monster blizzard that paralyzed eastern regions of the province with record breaking amounts of snow as forecasts call for more snow tonight.
Premier Dwight Ball asked for OttawaB次元官网网址檚 help on Saturday, and the federal government confirmed within hours it was working to deploy all available resources on the ground in St. JohnB次元官网网址檚.
Canadian Armed Forces Operations confirmed that units were being sent from Gagetown to help out in the affected communities, and to join with local reserves in St. JohnB次元官网网址檚.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said at a news conference in Winnipeg that two Cormorant helicopters, at least one Griffin helicopter and two Hercules aircraft have been deployed to Newfoundland.
B次元官网网址淲hat youB次元官网网址檒l see is probably by the end of today (Sunday), youB次元官网网址檒l have about 150 to 200 personnel on the ground ready to provide support. This could surge up to anywhere between 250 to 300 by tomorrow and the coming days,B次元官网网址 he said.
90 cms of snow.... State of emergency... Amazing...
B次元官网网址 Lucas (@masterofthetoys)
Their expected tasks will include assisting with snow removal, providing residents with transportation to warming or emergency centres, and ensuring the elderly and those with health concerns are cared for.
Some municipalities including St. JohnB次元官网网址檚, Conception Bay South and Mount Pearl eased their states of emergency Sunday to allow people to re-stock on emergency supplies after days of being snowed in.
St. JohnB次元官网网址檚 said its state of emergency would remain in place Monday, with exception for private snow clearing contractors, gas stations to help with snow removal and pharmacies for emergency medication needs.
In the meantime, residents pitched in to assist home-bound neighbours who had reached out for help on social media.
Jessica PynnB次元官网网址檚 west end St. JohnB次元官网网址檚 neighbourhood was buried under snow by Friday evening as she and her fianc茅 dealt with their 13-month-old daughterB次元官网网址檚 unexpected fever.
The family ran out of medicine and Pynn took to a neighbourhood Facebook group asking for help once the skies were clear.
B次元官网网址淲ithin one hour, a lady I had never met before was at my front door with a full bottle of medicine and a box of popsicles,B次元官网网址 Pynn said by email.
Her daughterB次元官网网址檚 fever was brought under control by Sunday morning and Pynn said she feels B次元官网网址渂lessedB次元官网网址 to live in a place where neighbours cheerily trek through unplowed streets to help those in need.
B次元官网网址淚f it wasnB次元官网网址檛 for these kind people, I donB次元官网网址檛 know what I would do,B次元官网网址 Pynn said. B次元官网网址淭here would be absolutely no way we would be able to leave here by vehicle and she probably would have (gotten) a lot more sick.B次元官网网址
PHOTOS:
Meanwhile, a search resumed Sunday morning for a man who went missing during the weekend storm, with the RCMP asking people in the area of RoachesB次元官网网址 Line to check sheds, vehicles and other structures on their properties in case 26-year-old Joshua Wall has taken shelter there.
The RCMP in Bay Roberts said Wall disappeared after leaving his home in Roaches Line, about 70 kilometres west of the capital of St. JohnB次元官网网址檚, on Friday to walk through a wooded area to a friendB次元官网网址檚 home in nearby Marysvale.
On Sunday morning, an RCMP spokeswoman said the search area has expanded as police now believe Wall may have made it out of the wooded area and back on to the RoachesB次元官网网址 Line roadway, following a reported sighting of a man last night.
Glenda Power said SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 search in the area with heavy snow drifts required snowmobiles and an Argo all-terrain vehicle.
Newfoundland Power crews continued working overnight to reconnect about 3,500 customers blacked out during the height of the storm, and St. JohnB次元官网网址檚 International Airport issued a release Saturday that there would be no flights before Sunday evening at the earliest.
And there was one more bit of unwelcome news, as Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the St. JohnB次元官网网址檚 area, saying at least 15 centimetres of snow was expected to fall between Sunday night and Monday morning.
B次元官网网址 With files from Michael Tutton and Joan Bryden.
Holly McKenzie-Sutter, The Canadian Press
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