GLACE BAY, N.S. — Damage done on the outside of Bob Boutilier's home from Hurricane Fiona is now making its way inside.
A tarp covering his roof is no longer keeping water and moisture out.
“It's very concerning. There’s mold in the bathroom and that's not good to be sleeping in. I'm home here alone and I don't know what the answer is,” said Boutilier, a resident of Glace Bay, N.S.
Answers have been hard to come by for Boutilier, who says he's filed an application for Disaster Relief Assistance from the province of Nova Scotia, but help hasn't arrived.
Now, he's worried about the weather that's on the way.
“The high winds that they're saying we could get with my roof open the way it is, I wouldn't be surprised to see my roof land over in the field somewhere,” said Boutilier.
Boutilier isn't alone. Several houses in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality have tarps covering their roof.
“The temporary roofs are designed to protect from rain, but they're tarp and temporary. So, I mean, if wind can take a whole roof off, it can certainly take a temporary roof off. I'm very concerned it won't hold up to the weather tonight,” said United Way Cape Breton Executive Director Lynne McCarron.
McCarron says the Mennonite Disaster Service, a volunteer group that has been helping repair roofs, has left for the holidays.
She says the area and non-profit organizations can't sustain any further damage.
“Post COVID and during the hurricane, these people are working 14 to 16 hour days and seven days a week because the need doesn't seem to go away, So, we're trying to make sure we have them properly supported so they can be resourced to do what needs to be done in the future,” said McCarron.
The province of Nova Scotia has received more than 530 applications for the Disaster Financial Assistance program.
Boutilier, who doesn't have insurance, says he can't wait much longer for governments to react.
“I'll have a sleepless night most likely,” he said.
