‘Uber Rob’ becomes symbol of N.B. resilience as record oodwaters grow
Record floods have brought chaos to a large swath of southern New Brunswick — with key highways shut and many residents forced from their homes — but they have also produced local heroes like “Uber Rob.”
Rob Dekany has since Monday been ferrying seven passengers at a time to Darling Island, a Saint John-area island where the only access road has been submerged by the ood waters of the Kennebecasis River.
ere’s even a schedule posted on a makeshift “Uber Rob” sign at the edge of the water. But Dekany has refused to accept any payment.
“He’s our saviour,” Patty Johnston said as she stood in the rain, waiting to cross choppy, debris lled waters to get to her home.
He has made the trip a few times an hour to get people o the island in the mornings, then returning them each afternoon and evening. Dekany said the pro ts he makes from a lucrative worm business allow him to give back to the community.
Doing it makes him happy, he said.
“As you can see I’ve got a bunch of good people here and thought I’d give a hand in good faith and as a good Samaritan,” Dekany said as he prepared to take another load of people to the island.
He has become a symbol of New Brunswick’s resilience and neighbourliness, even as heavy rain overnight only added to the misery of many people sandbagging their homes in an e ort to hold back the rising waters.
In Saint John, the worst is likely yet to come.
Geo rey Downey of the Emergency Measures Organization said Friday the Saint John River has hit 5.5 metres above sea level in Saint John — water levels not seen since 1973 — and will likely exceed that today when forecasts say it could reach 5.9 metres.
The Trans-canada Highway connecting Fredericton and Moncton was closed to tra c late ursday because ood waters have crossed the four-lane highway in the Jemseg area.
Jean-marc Picard, executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, said the closure will force a lot of trucks onto alternative roads and asked motorists to be alert and patient.
Picard said the detour is adding fuel costs and an hour or more to trip times.
“We’re pretty resourceful in terms of adjusting operations and making the necessary adjustments to the drivers’ daily deliveries,” he said. “For sure the longer it’s closed the more impacts it’s going to have ... but at least there’s an option.”
Downey said the rising Saint John River is causing more people to evacuate in areas stretching from Fredericton south to Saint John, which is expected to worsen in the coming days as rain is in the forecast.
“People are heeding the evacuation notices, which helps a great deal that you don’t have to send people and resource power to go get people in dangerous situations,” he said, adding that it is a dynamic, record-setting situation.
“We’re reacting. We can’t rely on previous experience, which is tough.”