‘I just want to go home … but I have nothing left’
Frustration among evacuees in Gatineau who await answers from authorities
Victims of the tornado that ripped through Gatineau were left in the dark on Friday evening and by Sunday some said there was still no light being shed on what their immediate future held.
Frustrations were palpable among some of those forced from their homes.
“People are getting really sick of hearing that their questions will be answered later,” said Kasper Ciepala, 30, after leaving a Sunday afternoon meeting with Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin.
“You’ve got older women in here starting to have anxiety attacks and people are asking about their kids,” he added. “People are going to work tomorrow, they need clothes, they need shelter and they want to go back into their homes to pick some stuff up.”
The tornado rated high E/F3 by investigators from Environment Canada left thousands of people without power and hundreds of others without a place to call home, causing significant destruction in the Mont Bleu region of Gatineau.
On Sunday afternoon, more than 2,900 customers were still without power in Gatineau, said Marie-Annick Gariépy, a spokeswoman with Hydro- Québec. She said the peak of the power outage affected more than 35,000 residences in Gatineau.
Yves St-Onge, a volunteer and spokesman with the Red Cross, said more than 230 children, adults and elderly people spent Saturday night at the CEGEP de L’Outaouais Gabrielle-Roy campus in Gatineau, where the Red Cross emergency shelter was located.
“It’s a traumatizing situation for a lot of people, so we have a number of volunteers and partners helping out days and nights,” he said. “Most people just really want to go back home, but they also understand that it’s not anybody’s fault.”
Daniel Loranger had spent the past couple of days at the emergency shelter with his son. He said the place was crowded and cold. “During the day it’s not too bad, but for sleep, it’s really bad and it’s so cold,” he said.
Other displaced residents said they received great care from the volunteers working in the emergency shelter. But they say they still don’t know how the next days will unfold.
“The people here are amazing, I can’t believe everything they have been doing for us,” said Carmen Lacasse, 71, who had just been greeted by Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on Sunday morning at the emergency shelter.
On Saturday evening, Lacasse and other residents of Radisson Street boarded buses after being told they would be able to go back home to grab some of their belongings. She said they waited in the bus for some time before being told the plan had changed and they wouldn’t be able to go home due to safety issues. “Everyone was really sad,” she said.
As school resumes at the CEGEP on Monday, the City of Gatineau announced to displaced residents Sunday that the emergency centre setup would be moving to a community centre about six kilometres from Mont Bleu area.
“I don’t know where I am going,” said Michelle Auger, 66, while sitting outside of Gabrielle-Roy campus. “All I know is that they are shipping us out of here today.”
While the tornado that ripped through the city left hundreds homeless, no fatalities were reported. In Gatineau, 14 people were taken to hospital and two were admitted for observation, according to authorities.
Auger said two mirrors in her house fell while the tornado passed through Mont Bleu, and she tripped on the glass, hurting both her hands and one of her legs.
“I was terrified,” she said, looking down her bandaged hands.
Chan Tremblay, 29, hid with his three children in a closet in their apartment unit on Radisson Street when the tornado passed by.
“I don’t care about myself, it’s the kids I was scared for,” he said. “You can replace your belongings but not your kids.”
“I just want to go home … but I have nothing left. I have no home insurance, all I have left are the clothes on my back.”
Walking through Mont Bleu neighbourhood Sunday, some of the streets were still filled with branches and debris from the tornado, while families walked around the neighbourhood, hoping to be able to gather some of the belongings they had left behind.
“I know I was not allowed inside my home, but I couldn’t leave my two cats and my turtle inside there any longer,” said Danielle Duford, 26, who lives on Deauville Street.
The “reintegration” of residents into their homes continued Sunday, said the City of Gatineau in a statement, and will be continuing in the upcoming days.
You’ve got older women in here starting to have anxiety attacks.
The Red Cross has established an Ottawa-Gatineau Appeal line for those who wish to donate at 1-800418-1111. The Salvation Army is asking for donations of household items, furniture and clothing. The City of Ottawa asks residents to call 311 for transportation to an emergency shelter, if you have a failing medical device that needs charging or to report storm-related issues, including fallen trees. People may call 613-239-4590 to find family members who have been displaced due to the tornado. Call 911 for a medical emergency.