Seeing what happened following the storm on the Victoria Day long weekend, I’m convinced the community spirit is alive and well in North Durham and the Kawartha Lakes.
I’m thankful for my great neighbours in Janetville. I really appreciate the neighbours who regularly came to check on my family and me. Also, I appreciate our neighbours next door to us, who gave us a line to plug in to their generator, allowing us to maintain power to some appliances during the long power outage. This timing varied from community to community, but the power was out for six days for residents in my neighbourhood.
Neighbours helping neighbours is what community is all about.
My neighbourhood is not the only area, though, with positive community reports. Just a day after the storm hit, Uxbridge Township reported they were “inundated with residents and businesses who [were] offering to assist” with the recovery effort. It’s heartening to see residents in a community like Uxbridge, which was badly hit by the storm, especially by a tornado, continue to rally to help their community.
There were also reports of hydro trucks from the United States crossing the border into Ontario to help providers restore power. Hydro One stated, in one press release, they worked with “out-of-province and international partners” to help restore power to their customers. Community spirit is not limited to just a small community. Community spirit can be provinces helping each other out, when one is in crisis, or even the positive relationship Canada has with the country to our south.
I truly believe disasters, while tragic and sad, have a way of bringing us all closer as a community and as a province. Though my heart aches for those whose homes and belongings were damaged or destroyed during the storm, I’m confident these communities will build back stronger than ever, thanks to the community spirit.
Community Feel
by The Standard | June 9, 2022 Podcast https://thestandardnewspaper.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Community-Feel-June-9th-2022.wav