He watched Fiona wash away his livelihood. Now this Newfoundland fisherman says he'll rebuild
CBC
Rose Blanche fisherman Hedley King says it's almost impossible to put a dollar figure on what he lost to post-tropical storm Fiona, but he knows the road to rebuilding will be a long one.
One thing's for sure, though: the costs are adding up.
"Anywhere up to $100,000, for sure," he said Tuesday. "You start sizing up and you're going to rebuild one of those, you know the price of material now.… It's not going to be cheap."
King lost three fishing sheds and a wharf in the wind and waves that hit Rose Blanche, about 45 kilometres from Port aux Basques on Newfoundland's southwest coast.
He also lost 40 tubs of gear for fishing halibut, an expensive freezer unit and much more.
"There's the wharf right there now, just floating around with the tubs on it," he said quietly, his finger pointing out to a sea of debris. "So yep, not looking good."
And while his boat, at least, made it through the storm, he knows many fishermen who can't say the same and are back at Square 1.
"Most all communities, Burnt Islands up there, Isle aux Morts and Port aux Basques and Fox Roost-Margaree and all those places like up the shore, right down to Burgeo … they're all the same."
As King and his wife, Arthena, stand on the road and watch parts of their lives sail by, they say they're committing to rebuilding in Rose Blanche.
But as residents begin to pick up the pieces, and members of the local fishery like King continue to age into their 60s, they're not sure things will ever be the way they were.
"We're together in this. We're gonna rebuild, that's what he wants to do. Fishing is in his blood," Arthena said.
"I'm not as fast as I was one time … but hopefully I'll rebuild something there, right?" Hedley added. "I am going to build back. Just the same."
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