CBNS TEAM MEMBERS GO ABOVE AND BEYOND IN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE FIONA

Located on the East Coast of Canada, Nova Scotia is no stranger to hurricanes. Although direct landfall has been few and far between in the past, when the warnings come out, it is something to take seriously. The days leading up to September 24, 2022, at Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway (CBNS) were spent checking equipment, topping fuel tanks, picking up loose items around the yard and office, and firming up a plan of action for what was to potentially come.

In the early morning hours, Hurricane Fiona made landfall along Nova Scotia’s Canso Peninsula with sustained winds of up to 100 miles (160 km) per hour, the equivalent of a Category 2 storm. Widespread damage included fallen trees on houses and other structures, flooding, washouts and power outages for more than one-third of the province that lasted for weeks in some cases.

Despite the devastation to CBNS employees’ properties and the cleanup that they faced, all hands were on deck as they rallied to get CBNS back up and running. Long hours were spent with chainsaws in hand cutting up and clearing trees that had fallen across miles of track.

“When one section of trees would be cleared, it would open view to another blanket strung across the tracks as far as the eye could see,” says CBNS General Manager John Bourque. “Never knowing what was ahead, all departments came together and pushed through to get the work done.”

After nine days, countless hours of hard labor, help from heavy machinery and contractors, and extensive inspections, the track was safely cleared to allow trains to service customers.

“Full clean-up took weeks, and even still, permanently weakened trees serve as a constant reminder of how Hurricane Fiona changed the landscape of Nova Scotia and CBNS,” says Bourque.

On November 1, Rick McLellan, president of G&W Canada (GWCI), visited CBNS to present employees involved in the clean-up with hoodies that had “Above and Beyond” embroidered on the sleeve to show his appreciation for the quick – and most of all, safe – cleanup effort.

GWCI also acknowledged the hardship that this storm had caused for so many Nova Scotians and made donations to the Port Hawkesbury area through Food Banks Canada, to the Sydney area through Feed Nova Scotia and to Pictou County through the Pictou County Food Bank.

BPRR’s Christmas snowstorm came with frigid temperatures, high winds and four feet of snow. In some areas, there were 12-foot snowdrifts.