PORT HASTINGS - Hurricane Fiona arrived as advertised in northeastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island, making landfall in Guysborough County in the early-morning hours of September 24 and proceeding on a rampage that uprooted trees, washed out roads, and - at one point - had 410,000 Nova Scotia Power customers without electricity.

Richmond Municipal Council and the Town of Port Hawkesbury were among those providing comfort centres for those without power or internet services, with twenty-two such safe havens located across Richmond County during the height of the storm and the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. 

Trees were uprooted in communities as diverse as Potlotek First Nation, Framboise, L'Ardoise, and Arichat, while large chunks of pavement wore away in St. George's Channel and West Bay Road. The Canso Causeway was closed to marine traffic between 6 p.m. on Friday evening and 6 a.m. on Sunday morning and put a freeze on high-sided vehicles though much of Saturday, although most other vehicle traffic was able to make it through without interruption during these periods. 

In terms of non-Fiona coverage on this week's edition of TELILE 24/7:

17:43 - The Town of Port Hawkesbury has completed its second Active Transportation (AT) trail near the town's community park and playground on MacQuarrie Drive Extension, and work is already underway on a follow-up AT trail near the Port Hawkesbury waterfront. 

23:10 - With online surveys now complete regarding public opinion on the Destination Reeves Street pilot project and a Nova Scotia Public Works traffic count currently wrapping up, town officials are now hoping provincial officials will present their final report on the project at a council meeting to be held later this fall.

27:52 - The co-founder and president of the Little Spirits Society, Christine Dowling, made a presentation to Port Hawkesbury Town Council's latest public meeting concerning her group's drive to provide support for parents who had lost a child before, during or shortly after childbirth.

34:31 - The head of the Raising The Villages early-childhood development group, Jim Mustard, updates his organization's plans to set up support centres across Cape Breton Island, including Richmond County. This presentation took place during Richmond County's recent Committee of the Whole meeting. 

48:02 - Port Hawkesbury Deputy Mayor Jason Aucoin and members of Richmond Municipal Council react to the September 20 announcement by Premier Tim Houston and the Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables, Tim Halman, that the Strait Area will feature prominently in a new provincial strategy to double Nova Scotia's offshore wind production to 5 Gigawatts of power by 2030.