How St. John's prepares for – and deals with – a storm

It came with a vengeance. A weekend full of high winds, waves, and storm surges damaging properties, destroying infrastructure, and flooding streets.

Storms like this are becoming more common — and they're forcing communities to think about how they respond.

Gambo was still under a state of emergency Tuesday morning, due to the damage from the weekend windstorm. 

In St. John's, where the storm damaged some properties in the downtown and the Outer Battery areas, mayor Danny Breen told CBC's The St. John's Morning Show public safety is the utmost concern in severe weather situations.

Breen said some downtown roads had to be closed Sunday to clean up damage to Erin's Pub on Water Street, as well as some stray glass and flooding on Harbour Drive. 

"We wanted to keep everybody safe and away from those areas until the storm abated," Breen said."

"We do take the forecasts and the potential for these types of storms very seriously and do what we can to help get ready for dealing with them," he said.

When there's a bad forecast, Breen says the city's emergency preparedness team works to make sure all necessary equipment is in place so staff can bring help to where it's needed. 

The public works department will also keep an eye on "trouble spots" where damage usually occurs, Breen said. That means clearing water catch basins and removing items from areas where they can blow around in the wind. 

Breen recommends people secure the outside of their properties, and make sure refrigerators are stocked with food and water in case grocery stores are closed — like they were in the wake of Snowmageddon.

"There's some very simple things that we could do to get ready," Breen said.

"I think generally people now are getting more used to these warnings of storms approaching and are taking those steps."

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