Peter Haugan said it was like being in a movie.
One thing’s for sure – one of the most brutal storms in recent memory to smack the North Coast is still the main topic of conversation, even three days later, as communities around Prince Rupert are still cleaning up from the Thanksgiving weekend winds.
At the storm’s apex around 1 a.m. Sunday morning is when everything began getting a little crazy in Rupert, and Haugan, a long-time Rupert resident, found himself playing a vehicular version of dodge ball as he drove his truck in the pitch-black darkness that had overtaken Kaien Island.
“It was like being on the highway at night,” he said. “When you see a tree or something on the road, you swerve.
“And that night, branches were flying around, roofs were flying around. You’ve got to swerve.”
In fact, the wind’s gusts were so powerful at times, instant damage occurred throughout the area. Some of the hardest hit areas in Prince Rupert included the Ferguson Funeral Home, Far West Sports, and a handful of residential homes on the east side, while on the west side, several trees took out the power lines along Moresby Avenue.
Out in Port Edward, the main problem was fallen trees, although the trailer park on Alder Drive sustained the most damage.
“For most places, it was a little less than Rupert,” said Ron Bedard, Chief Administrative Officer for the district of Port Edward. “But at the trailer park, it was a bit of a scare.”
One trailer in particular flipped right over while the residents were inside it, said Bedard. Luckily, the family was reportedly unhurt in the incident. (That trailer is pictured above.)
Shortly thereafter, the Port Edward Volunteer Fired Department had to evacuate the entire trailer park. “It ripped out the gas line,” added Bedard. “It was pretty freaky. But everything got dealt with pretty reasonably.”
As for Haugan, he was at Chances when the power went out. But unlike the rest of the downtown core that was ensconced in darkness, the back-up generator kicked in. However, within half an hour, Chances decided it would be wise to close up because they weren’t sure how long the generator would last, so at approximately 1 a.m., Haugan decided to leave.
“With the automatic doors at Chances, every time they opened, the wind came in and folded up the carpet,” he said. “And outside, it was pitch black.”
Taxi service was sparse at that time, so Haugan began volunteering his services to drive some people home. But right away he noticed driving wouldn’t be prototypical, as his passengers had trouble getting the door of his truck open due to the wind.
“I was glad I had my truck,” he said. “One of those little smart cars would’ve blown right over.”
At one point, he was driving towards Graham Avenue, and his truck hit the hanging wires at Moresby Avenue. He didn’t see them until the last minute, and was thankful that the power was out at that time.
“If it was a live wire, wow, who knows,” he said. “It was like driving around in a movie.”
This North Coast feature continued to play itself out throughout the region. Kitkatla, the community on the tip of Porcher Island, had to brace against the storm first, and while toppled trees and a loss of power was the only real issue, that didn’t stop it from giving the residents quite a scare.
“That’s the hardest I’ve ever heard it blow,” said Kitkatla resident Wendy Nelson, who has lived here on the North Coast her entire life. “I was scared the windows were going to break, so I put some blankets up against it.”
But records show the weekend storm wasn’t quite the strongest ever. The highest wind ever recorded by Environment Canada out at the airport was 137 km/h back in 1968, and the highest wind recorded this past weekend topped out at 119, even though winds at Ridley Terminals were recorded at 154.8 km/h.
Long-time Port Edward resident Charles Irvine, who has lived on the North Coast for 56 years, wasn’t convinced either, saying he had lived through much harsher storms throughout his life.
Bedard concurred with Irvine. “This was pretty substantial, but I remember in the 1960s, I was working construction, and I had to go up to the top of Mount Hays,” said Bedard. “We were flown by helicopter, and the house up there had a window that said it could withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour.
“But the window was blown out.”
And Haugan pointed out that even though the destruction in town was significant, down on the water, it wasn’t that bad. After all, the Coast Guard reported no emergencies on the water over the weekend, despite reports that out in Hecate Strait, wave swells were peaking at 11 metres.
“The wind was swirling,” said Haugan. “From the southwest is the worst winds we can have, but in the harbour, it was going in the wrong direction, so it was fine.”
Hydro is back up throughout most of the region, while it was expected that natural gas customers in Rupert and Port Edward would once again have heat by Wednesday evening at the latest.
~Words & picture by Patrick Witwicki
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