A feed of Mary Brown's and a reopened road made for a fine Wednesday in the Bay of Islands
It was a feed for two towns in need and, as of Wednesday night, a nice celebration for the reopening of a washed-out highway.
The people of Lark Harbour and York Harbour, two towns that were cut off from the rest of the province after the weekend's flooding, got to wrap their arms around warm paper bags from Mary Brown's Wednesday.
"Just for the record, the chicken is my treat. This is not a government treat, this is Eddie Joyce's treat," said Eddie Joyce, the region's MHA.
In possibly the most Newfoundland thing ever, Eddie Joyce and Steve Crocker brought 75 pieces of <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryBrowns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaryBrowns</a> chicken via helicopter to the York Harbour town hall <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcnl?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cbcnl</a> <a href="https://t.co/M0YkfkwI3F">pic.twitter.com/M0YkfkwI3F</a>
—@Jeremy_EatonThe feed of fried chicken arrived by helicopter, just like all the other supplies brought into the towns since a chunk of Route 450, the highway leading into the towns, was washed away on the weekend.
As of Wednesday night, one lane was repaired and reopened, and people in York Harbour and Lark Harbour will once again be able to drive to Corner Brook to pick up a Big Mary special.
York Harbour Mayor Charlie Kendell said that though things were bleak for a while, they all managed to make the best of the situation.
"We've had a lot of laughs and we've had a lot of good times, too," he said.
Melanie Joyce, mayor of Lark Harbour, said neither town has cell service, so the road to Corner Brook is their lifeline.
"This is really the first time that both towns have declared a state of emergency, where we've been completely cut off," she said, noting that residents pulled together to help each other out.
And here’s what the road washout on route 450 looks like <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nltraffic?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nltraffic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcnl?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cbcnl</a> <a href="https://t.co/YsgPpRFThZ">pic.twitter.com/YsgPpRFThZ</a>
—@Jeremy_EatonPatients requiring transportation for medical appointments have been flown in and out of the towns by helicopter since Monday, and Coast Guard auxiliary members used their fishing boats to bring in essentials like milk, bread, eggs and even furnace fuel.
That was a good thing, said Robert Strickland, owner of Byrne's General Store in York Harbour, because his shelves were getting pretty bare.
Work on the washout in the highway began Tuesday, after heavy equipment couldn't get through Monday because of problems in the road in a different area.
"We came together — well, we was always together — but since this happened, we done fairly good," said Kendell.
Residents in the Bay of Islands advised that Route 450 has reopened. Watch for crews monitoring and escorting traffic. Portable traffic lights have also been installed. Please drive carefully. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nltraffic?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nltraffic</a> <a href="https://t.co/iBsQTnvDCC">pic.twitter.com/iBsQTnvDCC</a>
—@TW_GovNLWith files from Jeremy Eaton