As the province promises help, Port aux Basques residents hope to rebuild lives shattered by Fiona

On the outside, Austin Taylor's Port aux Basques home looks like it made it through post-tropical storm Fiona relatively unscathed.

Inside is a different story. The house reeks of oil.

"As soon as you open the door, we're in the fuel," Taylor said Wednesday. 

Taylor's basement flooded during the storm, which destroyed more than 80 houses in the community on Newfoundland's southwest tip. But the flood in his basement isn't just seawater.

"Somebody's fuel tank … collapsed and it came in the basement with the water," he said.

Taylor said he has been able to remove possessions from the house but everything he takes smells like oil. Now he and his family of four are in limbo, staying in a hotel room together.

"Our house is intact, but where do I go from here?" he asked.

He said the family has filed an insurance claim, but hasn't heard back yet.

Taylor's 29-year-old-daughter has Pitt–Hopkins syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes cognitive and physical impairment. She sometimes uses a wheelchair, and the home has a wheelchair ramp for accessibility.

"This was her world. She could go and come and do as she wanted," he said.

Because of the environmental risk posed by the fuel, Taylor can't pump the water out of his basement. He doesn't yet know if the home will be habitable again.

"I'm just waiting for answers [about] what they're going to do," he said.

Some of those answers may arrive soon. On Wednesday, the provincial government announced a $30-million financial relief package for communities most affected by post-tropical storm Fiona.

That package includes $1,000 per household for people who were temporarily evacuated from their primary residence during the storm and are able to return by Friday, and $10,000 per household for people who were displaced and are now unable to return. A sum of $25 million will go toward affected communities to begin rebuilding.