Cape Breton family’s Fiona damage gets worse

WESTMONT, NS –

More than four months after Hurricane Fiona struck Atlantic Canada, people are still grappling with damaged homes as they await help from insurance companies and provincial relief programs.

Thomas Lynk and his young family are one of many who are still waiting for help, and as time goes by their living conditions deteriorate.

“We’re losing faith. To be honest, we’re losing faith,” Lynk said.

Last week, water leaked through the ceiling of Lynk’s house into buckets below.

Since then, another major rainstorm swept through the area, making the already damaged portion of the ceiling even worse.

“Parts of the ceiling collapsed and nearly hit me,” Lynk said. “Thank God the kids weren’t there.”

The local MLA has been trying to help the family for months. He was shocked to see the recent damage.

“They need the help and they need it now,” said Fred Tilley, MLA of the Northside-Westmount Liberal. “And just the bureaucracy of this situation is the only word I can use is unacceptable.”

On Tuesday, a Louisbourg, NS couple who have been unable to live in their home since Fiona shared his story with CTV Atlantic shared.

A day later, another family in the community came forward with insurance frustrations.

“My house needs a complete renovation. I need a new barn. I need a new fence,” said homeowner Glenn Shepard.

Shepard said he lost thousands of dollars in valuables in his barn and his basement was damaged.

However, he has not yet received an insurance quote that satisfies him.

“They only offered me a quarter of what I asked for. I fight them and I’m not backing down, not a bit,” Shepard said.

Nova Scotia’s Office of the Superintendent of Insurance told CTV News in an email that the province had seen an unprecedented number of claims after Fiona.

Nevertheless, they expect insurance companies to react and provide information in a timely manner.

They add that the office has only received one Fiona-related complaint and that they are working on a solution.

As for the Lynk family, they said an insurance adjuster visited their home last week, but they haven’t heard anything since.

Now they have to deal with temperatures of minus 20 degrees in poor living conditions this weekend.

“We should be able to do it, but when it comes down to it, we have a place for my wife and the kids to go,” Lynk said.