Green Park reopened after damage from Dorian

After sustaining significant damage during post-tropical storm Dorian in 2019, a P.E.I. campground has finally reopened, but the new owners worry some might not know Green Park is back.

Last year the campground had a soft open because cleanup from the storm was still being done.

"The park hadn't been open or run by anybody since that major hurricane," said Leah Deagle, who helps run the campground.

A lot of downed trees and others at risk of falling had to be cut to open the campground — some of that work is still ongoing, she said.

"There was a lot of trees down, trees across the roads here. I think we are still cutting trees up which have been downed from that hurricane."

Dorian caused widespread damage throughout P.E.I. National Park, where Green Park is located.

While there were some bookings last year, things were tough.

"We've been getting a lot of bookings this year, so I'd say we're up probably 90 per cent because last year we had some sites that we never even saw a camper. And more people are getting to know that we're open," she said.

Deagle says since they took over the park last year, they've had trouble getting the word out.

"We had a big issue with the phone number, so we have a new phone number. We still have people calling the old number for the campground. So we're trying to get our new phone number out so that everybody knows that."

The correct number is now showing on Google searches.

The province did spend money to fix up the some of the water-side cabins that were damaged by Dorian, Deagle said. 

"It's a lot of work. It's a big park to maintain because it is spread over. One of our biggest challenges is keeping the grass cut here because I think the park is on 13 acres itself," she said.

Deagle said Dorian did provide a bit of a silver lining, because there is now free firewood for campers from trees that had to be chopped up.