Neighbours bring 'boatload after boatload' of supplies to flood ravaged Morrisville

Towns on the south coast of Newfoundland are pulling together after heavy rain and floods struck the area Monday and Tuesday. 

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Morrisville community volunteer Tracey Drew said her town has received incredible support from neigbouring communities after the town's only access road was washed away and homes were flooded. 

"It was just boatload after boatload of supplies coming from other communities. Conne River really stepped up," said Drew.

"Everyone down in their community, apparently, was out buying groceries and cases and cases of water. They had two or three boats coming by at a time, unloading it on to a little pier we have out here." 

Drew said boats filled with water, canned foods and dry goods arrived Wednesday from St. Alban's and Milltown as well. 

"It's just amazing. Our community fire hall is just jam packed, anything that anybody is out of, [they] can just go out there now and get it, just the same as a store," she said. 

Drew said small grassroots efforts have ballooned into "huge" support. "Everybody got on board," she said.

"I know a friend of mine from Conne River messaged me and said 'we're going to try and help you out.' And then their fire department got involved, the huge groceteria out in Burnt Woods, got involved. They kept calling us to say 'We sent you a bunch of stuff. Is there anything else that you need?'" 

'Wheelbarrows full of mud'

Family members came by boat from Conne River to help Drew clean the mess created when five feet of water collected in her basement.

We were literally shovelling out wheelbarrows full of mud out of my basement.- Tracey Drew

"I lost everything. It's just completely under mud, so we were literally shovelling out wheelbarrows full of mud out of my basement," said Drew.

Drew said members of the fire department in nearby Milltown started organizing a plan and will be arriving with equipment and people on Thursday.

Water up and running

Morrisville also has some running water again, she said.

"It may still be a bit dirty, I'm not sure, but it is up and running, so we were able to shower and stuff last night, which was wonderful after a hard day's work."

There's still no access to Morrisville by road, and Drew said she expects it will remain isolated for a few more days.

"[The] earliest I've heard is Saturday, hopefully, that we might have a little bit of a passing lane," she said.

Despite the damage and trying times, Drew remained pragmatic about the clean up.

"What can you do? It's done and you've just got to face it and get through it."