Bill for repairing Fiona damage at Sydney airport expected to be nearly $2M

Officials at the J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport are waiting for final quotes from contractors before tallying the cost of damage wrought by post-tropical storm Fiona, but say the total is expected to be nearly $2 million. 

Angela Zorzi-Gouthro, Sydney director of finance and administration, said things could have been worse as flights have not been affected in the wake of the powerful storm that battered Atlantic Canada in late September.

"It's been tough, but we're strumming along here and operating as normal," Zorzi-Gouthro said. "Flights are able to come in and out as normal and the airlines and car rentals and our restaurant can operate as normal."

Zorzi-Gouthro said a Cape Breton-based contractor has completed patch repairs to the airport terminal's roof, and work is underway to replace steel siding that was ripped off of an observation tower used by Environment Canada.  

Zorzi-Gouthro said two airport hangars were also damaged including one that was later repaired to allow a private charter business to keep operating. The second damaged hangar is typically used as a space for winter storage rentals, but remains punctured and out of service.

Airport officials will meet with an insurance adjuster next week to discuss what damages will be covered.

"This was definitely out of the blue," said Zorzi-Gouthro. "Those are pretty sturdy steel panels. We weren't looking to replace them."

The Insurance Bureau of Canada said the storm was the most costly extreme weather event ever recorded in Atlantic Canada in terms of insured damages based on the estimate provided by Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc.

Gloria Haydock, IBC's manager of consumer and industry relations, said there are likely tens of thousands of claims that have been reported across Atlantic Canada. Based on the information they've received, IBC believes most of the storm's damage was caused by high winds that toppled trees and damaged roofs and siding. 

Haydock said it's not clear how many claims involved homes or businesses or other government buildings. 

"The more complex the claim could cause more of an investigation," said Haydock. "And I think on top of that … there are only so many contractors available, so there are some challenges there for sure."

A shortage of tradespeople in the region means the work to complete repairs at the Sydney airport may take up to a year to complete. 

The Sydney Airport Authority is also in the process of submitting an application for federal relief, although it's not clear how much money can be collected.