Newfoundland town under state of emergency following storm, flooding
Sunday's winter storm brought flooding and high winds
The town of Gambo on the northeast coast of N.L. is under a state of emergency due to a windstorm that caused major flooding Sunday.
The fire department has restored their paging and phone system and is taking calls for assistance.
The Lions Club and Black Duck Cottages are open to anyone in the public who needs warmth or a meal.
Peak wind gusts from the weekend storm (updated January 5)
Keith Peckford, fire chief in Gambo, said areas around the coastline were evacuated Sunday, and several entrances to the town were closed for safety.
In an interview with CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning Monday, Peckford said the water level at one house was so high that when he backed his firetruck to the top step of the residence and opened the door, the water reached the floorboard of the truck.
"[We had to] get them in the truck to get them out of their house, and get them on dry land," Peckford said.
Paddling to safety
When Wanda Pierce stepped outside her home Sunday morning, she said there was "nothing but water."
She and her husband scrambled to shut off the power to their house before they fled, but by the time Pierce's husband got to the car, she said, the water was too high to get out.
"It was that much water that [my husband] couldn't get in through the doorway," Pierce said. "He had to go over to the next door neighbours and get a canoe to come over and get me out of the house."
Gambo issued a state of emergency following major flooding, high winds and infrastructure damage. (Wanda Pierce/Facebook via CBC News)
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Pierce said she's never seen anything like those water levels before.
She said she returned to her house briefly, but soon had to be rescued a second time with help from the fire department. Pierce was able to stay the night at her home, but barely slept, she said.
Damage in the community
Power lines fell, trees were downed, and patios were ripped away from homes.
Water levels were "in and out for a while," said Peckford, until it calmed down in the afternoon. At that point, the fire department was focused on keeping the roads safe and keeping people dry.
Peckford said about five residents had to spend the night out of their beds out of precaution.
He added that half a dozen houses were damaged overnight, but 20 to 30 families still saw damage to their gardens, sheds and other structures.
This article, written by Maddie Ryan, was originally published for CBC News. Contains files from Newfoundland Morning.