Soldiers clear roads, help senior clean out freezer in N.B. ice-storm cleanup
LAMEQUE, N.B. — Troops went door-to-door Monday, helping northeastern New Brunswick recover from a devastating ice storm that has been linked to two deaths and almost three dozen hospitalizations from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The soldiers cleaned debris from streets, went door-to-door to check on residents, and delivered needed items as the region recovers from a storm that has now prompted a delay in the provincial budget.
“They are making some significant gains in very difficult conditions … But we understand there are people going through a tough time,” Premier Brian Gallant told a briefing Monday. The budget scheduled for Tuesday is now delayed until Feb. 7.
Early in the day, dark green military vehicles from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown crossed a bridge onto Lameque island, where soldiers set up a base in a school and then fanned out to ice-coated communities where power crews are still attempting to restore electricity lost in Wednesday’s storm.