In Eastern P.E.I., the post-Fiona era means waiting, wondering and helping

For many in Eastern Kings, P.E.I., the new normal involves trips to the gas station to fuel generators and to the local reception centre to take showers, charge devices, and pick up water to flush toilets. 

Power has been restored to some people in the area, in the wake of post-tropical storm Fiona, but many could still face additional days without it.

For people like Owen Greer, the new routine is getting old. 

"Showering every three to four days…rationing out everything we have. We lost our freezer. We're still running the fridge but our generator will only keep one of them going," said Greer, who lives outside of Souris. 

He said the expenses are adding up quickly when you count food, gas for the generator, and bottled water. But what's bothering him most is that it's unclear how much longer he'll be living this way.

"My frustration now is my neighbours to the south have power, my neighbours to the north have power, and three homes in the middle do not have power, and we don't have an explanation why," said Greer. 

Fellow area resident Lee Fleury also remains without power — but is pretty sure he knows why: Fiona tore the home's power mast right off the building. 

"We're just waiting for a hookup, just like everybody else," said Fleury, who lives in St. Catherine's. "We're kind of at the end of the line. We're a single service knock-down, so they told us it would probably be by this week."

Fleury and his wife have been making regular trips to the Eastern Kings Community Centre, to use the internet and enjoy some hot coffee. He said it's been a huge help while they wait to get their power back. 

"It's an opportunity to get out and get away from the destruction of the storm and kind of, you know, feel a little bit better for a few hours while you're out here visiting."

One of the centre's main volunteers is Isobel Fitzpatrick, the emergency management coordinator for the rural municipality of Eastern Kings. She said in the early days of the storm, about 50 people a day were stopping by for assistance. And some of those people wanted to see more power crews dispatched sooner to Eastern P.E.I.

"There are some people who question why we weren't seeing anything for so long, and it made them sad," said Fitzpatrick.

"They felt that nobody from the Charlottetown area, or the services that they were seeing in other areas, were out here. That nobody cared enough to come east."

She said for many in the area, the community's reception centre became a place to get help, and also to find community.