Hurricane Dorian was the first experience Richtig Haus has had facing such an extreme weather event. We didn't know what to expect and how badly we would be affected. With power still out in much of the province, we are now getting a clearer picture.
When we decided to move Richtig Haus to New Brunswick there were several factors we evaluated before buying. The major factors included access to public transit, internet speed and avoiding flood zones. At no point did we consider how hurricanes affected the area, as we had no experience with hurricanes. I, myself, thought of hurricanes as a tropical problem. On this point I have been thoroughly re-educated.
We have faced several winter storms over our first year in Moncton. High winds, rain, snow and sleet have all battered our home. We rarely to never lose power unlike many of the other residents of New Brunswick. In that regard we are fortunate; however, we did lose power from the strength of Dorian. I was working when the power went out, so my apologies to the customer that was on the phone at the time. This is one of the drawbacks of no longer having copper service for phones. VOIP lines die along with internet access/power.
We spent at least an hour in candlelight before we decided to venture out in the storm and assess what was going on. To my surprise, it was less impactful in our area that I expected. We live in an older area (Richtig Haus' deed claims the house was built 125? years ago - basically no one know exactly how old the house is), that has seen many storms over the years. I expected that in an area with so many mature trees would have limbs all over the road. And there were a few tossed here and there on lawns, but no major trees fallen. The wind was blowing leaves and tree bits everywhere onto the road, yet there were no impasses.
Moncton was a patchwork of dark and light. We drove through several sections of the city that alternated between light and dark, with little logical reason as to why the disconnect existed between areas. We found an enclave of electricity on Mountain Rd. and found some food before returning home safely through the dark. We saw one fire engine on patrol and two police cars that were blocking a street - presumably because there was an electric wire down or a tree. In the absence of street lights, the police lights were so bright that it was impossible to see what they were trying to secure.
This morning I awoke to assess the damage to our property in the light of day. Our power has been restored, and the only casualty of the storm was an already dead branch from the ancient cedars in our front yard. Nature may be powerful, but it's grown strong children on our property.