St. John's got hit with nearly 40 cm of snow overnight, but it was the winds and storm surge that did the worst damage.
In the Outer Battery and Quidi Vidi Gut crashing waves completely destroyed several sheds, wharves and stages; even more were partially damaged.
A roof was seen floating in St. John's harbour, and Jack Well's Twine Shop in the Outer Battery had its structural supports swept out from under it.
As of Saturday morning, three buildings were hanging out over the water, and locals worried they might collapse.
Wanda Rideout, Environment Canada meteorologist at the Gander weather office, said the winds were around 90 km/h, and the waves were five to seven metres high.
In the normally sheltered Quidi Vidi Gut, the waves crashed over the breakwater, and around midnight, the storm surge was about three metres above normal levels.
The water flooded several buildings, including the Quidi Vidi Brewery; when the owners went to survey the damage, they found a small fire in the building which caused minor damage.
Updates to follow and look for more in Monday's Telegram
Storm wrecks Battery, Quidi Vidi
A building in the Battery has had its supports swept out from under it in Friday night's storm surge. Photo by James McLeod/The Telegram
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Published on
February 6, 2010
- Published on June 30, 2010
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Staff ~ The Telegram
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Comments
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- Tim
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:02:06
Might be time to consider pulling these down and installing proper concrete and steel supports prior to rebuilding them. Weather and age can not be stopped. Trying to keep rotting structures as they are leads to injuries and environmental damage.
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- Tim
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:00:11
You would think that some form of Heritage funding would be avaliable, or made avaliable to recreate and revitalize this landmark area for many years to come. As somewhat of a photo highlight for the tourist industry to both the province and the city one would think that issues such as this would take precedent in restoring prior to the summer tourist and cruise season.
It would not hurt to have some corporate sponsorship from the oil and gas industry as happens in Alberta all the time. A little goodwill goes along way. -
- Old Man Winter
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:56:10
Hey, maybe the great and powerful Fortis could help out.
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- mary
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:52:13
not only the harbour in st.john's has been made vulnerable but also the tiny picturesque village of quidi vidi as well.where once there were many stages now there are several less.the folks there tried to make it possible for visitors to see something of the past and have now lost it all.some help would go a long way in Quidi Vidi (the GUT) as well
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- Paul
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:52:02
uh?
completely destroyed several sheds, wharves and stages; even more were partially damaged.
These are stages that have hung over the water for years. Is it surprising that they were corroded by salt water?
pH
phussey@yahoo.com -
- Dave
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:51:04
I agree that some of these ageing buildings should be removed, but in the same token what a shame to loose the heritage and memories that they hold. Being from out of province I see beauty in these old structures that possibly the residents no longer see.
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- Julian
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:47:09
Good idea, Tim. Of course tearing down some of the threatened Battery houses down to rebuild them on steel supports will be pricey for the owners. Likewise for the owners of the undermined sheds & wharves. Is it time for the City and Province to declare it a disaster area and help owners rebuild? They've used it as the poster child in tourism ads for years. Besides, when the City blasted out the underwater Ruby Rock a decade ago to make room for bigger cruise ships in the Narrows, there were fears that it would increase the Battery vulnerability to high seas. Maybe the City can help repair this damage with the same kind of funding they contributed to helping the cruise industry. Anyone remember how much Ruby Rock removal cost?
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- derek
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:42:23
excellent storm surge prediction presentation from NOAA expert:
http://vimeo.com/groups/33054/videos/9064267 -
- Tim
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:50:52
Might be time to consider pulling these down and installing proper concrete and steel supports prior to rebuilding them. Weather and age can not be stopped. Trying to keep rotting structures as they are leads to injuries and environmental damage.
-
- Tim
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:47:52
You would think that some form of Heritage funding would be avaliable, or made avaliable to recreate and revitalize this landmark area for many years to come. As somewhat of a photo highlight for the tourist industry to both the province and the city one would think that issues such as this would take precedent in restoring prior to the summer tourist and cruise season.
It would not hurt to have some corporate sponsorship from the oil and gas industry as happens in Alberta all the time. A little goodwill goes along way. -
- Old Man Winter
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:42:57
Hey, maybe the great and powerful Fortis could help out.
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- mary
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:36:21
not only the harbour in st.john's has been made vulnerable but also the tiny picturesque village of quidi vidi as well.where once there were many stages now there are several less.the folks there tried to make it possible for visitors to see something of the past and have now lost it all.some help would go a long way in Quidi Vidi (the GUT) as well
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- Paul
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:36:03
uh?
completely destroyed several sheds, wharves and stages; even more were partially damaged.
These are stages that have hung over the water for years. Is it surprising that they were corroded by salt water?
pH
phussey@yahoo.com -
- Dave
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:34:17
I agree that some of these ageing buildings should be removed, but in the same token what a shame to loose the heritage and memories that they hold. Being from out of province I see beauty in these old structures that possibly the residents no longer see.
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- Julian
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:27:30
Good idea, Tim. Of course tearing down some of the threatened Battery houses down to rebuild them on steel supports will be pricey for the owners. Likewise for the owners of the undermined sheds & wharves. Is it time for the City and Province to declare it a disaster area and help owners rebuild? They've used it as the poster child in tourism ads for years. Besides, when the City blasted out the underwater Ruby Rock a decade ago to make room for bigger cruise ships in the Narrows, there were fears that it would increase the Battery vulnerability to high seas. Maybe the City can help repair this damage with the same kind of funding they contributed to helping the cruise industry. Anyone remember how much Ruby Rock removal cost?
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- derek
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:19:37
excellent storm surge prediction presentation from NOAA expert:
http://vimeo.com/groups/33054/videos/9064267
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