Stories of survival: Maritimers rescue MétéoMédia reporter
Digital Reporter
Thursday, March 27, 2014, 10:00 AM -
A powerful and record breaking storm plowed through Atlantic Canada on Wednesday resulting in widespread power outages, travel shut down and dangerous reporting conditions.
The Weather Network's chief meteorologist Chris Scott and Storm Hunter Mark Robinson were literally knocked off their feet when wind gusts over 170 km/h were reported in Grand Etang, N.S.
Chris St. Clair braved the "snowicane" in Charlottetown, P.E.I., while Nathan Coleman dealt with 20+ cm of snow in Halifax, N.S.
#Juanabe RT @theeastcoastboy: @cstclair1 @weathernetwork This photo is from 12 noon, 1 and 2 PM today in Emyvale PEI pic.twitter.com/5Omi32CJHO
— HuffPost Canada (@HuffPostCanada) March 26, 2014
The coverage was extensive and the storm was fierce, but perhaps the most heartwarming story came from MétéoMédia's Marco Parent in Shediac, New Brunswick.
After a full day of live coverage and reports on the ground, the evening looked dismal when travel conditions turned ugly.
"Reporter Marco Parent has to sleep in his car tonight since roads are closed and he can't make it back to the hotel," tweeted The Weather Network's Kim MacDonald Wednesday night.
Reporter @MarcoParent_MM has to sleep in his car tonight since roads are closed and he can't make it back to the hotel. #atlstorm
— Kim MacDonald (@KMacTWN) March 27, 2014
"We had food, we had water, we had candles," said Parent who expected to sleep in his car for the night. "Happily, a good samaritan came with a heavy duty truck and was able to get us back to the hotel for a good night's sleep."
Actually, we've been rescued by a big truck. We are now in an hotel getting some sleep! Thanks for all your prayers and advices!Cc @KMacTWN
— Marco Parent (@MarcoParent_MM) March 27, 2014
Another noteworthy mention?
Nicole and Lorraine at Bay Wind Suites.
Once in Nova Scotia, Chris and Mark’s cell phones stopped working. They later learned that their service provider does not cover Cape Breton.
That was a big problem, as their iPhones were a necessary component of their live coverage.
After trying unsuccessfully attempting to purchase a phone, Lorraine was happy to lend hers out.
A few minutes later Mark and Chris had a working cell phone and were submitting live coverage of the storm.
