The following statement was read in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador:
Speaker, on September 24 this province, and in particular southwest Newfoundland, was forever changed by a historical and unprecedented weather event in Hurricane Fiona. The damage was devastating, horrifying and tragic. The sea, which has always been a significant part of the fabric of our province, breached our shores and stole houses, fishing stages, wharves, infrastructure, and most tragically, it stole a life.
It has been nearly two weeks, and yet the hurt and the impacts of this storm are still being fully understood and realized. We expect the assessment of this damage will continue in the weeks and months ahead. However, as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are known for, we shall come out of this together. Unfortunately we are no stranger to tragedy, and these events are becoming more frequent. But as we have done before following disasters, we will come together to support each other. Our government will be there for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that have been impacted by this event, now and as we continue to ensure people get the support they need.
Speaker, at the beginning of this week the Canadian Red Cross started distributing funds on behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to those people who were displaced by Hurricane Fiona. In addition, we provided communities with a process to access the funding required to start repairing and rebuilding. Our government continues to work with the Canadian Red Cross to provide further assistance to residents and communities, and will continue this support as we move forward.
The Incident Command Centre team that was established in the days following Hurricane Fiona remains on the ground to assist communities in southwestern Newfoundland. The team is led by officials with experience in incident response, and includes professionals from various government departments, such as the Departments of Transportation and Infrastructure, Children, Seniors and Social Development, Justice and Public Safety, Digital Government and Service NL and Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture.
Speaker, our hearts are with those who have had their lives turned upside down. We know the recovery will take time. The impacts are far reaching with residents, municipalities and local service districts, businesses and non-profit organizations having to pick up the pieces. I want to assure those impacted that our government is committed to be there to support you throughout this extremely emotional and trying time.
Our province is strong and resilient. We will come together. We will recover. We will rebound. Just like Newfoundlanders and Labradorians always do. I would like to ask all honourable members of this House of Assembly to stand and join me in a moment of silence as we send prayers and condolences for the loss of a woman who was tragically taken from her family and friends.