Nova Scotia businesses report minimal impact from Lee

Businesses in Nova Scotia say the impact of post-tropical storm Lee in Nova Scotia could have been far worse.

At Coastal Grove Farm in Upper Port La Tour, co-owner Cynthia Bazinet said there was some damage to crops, but the impact of salt water from the ocean some 150 metres away remains to be seen.

Bazinet said crops in the field like zucchini had quite a bit of damage because of the high winds. However, she said most of their greenhouse crops fared well.

She said they had to remove the plastic from one tomato greenhouse ahead of the storm to prevent it from being ripped off by the wind. That allowed some damage to the crop.

According to Bazinet, the farm is protected by a two-metre stone berm that has built up over centuries.

Bazinet didn’t think the berm could be breached but she said the water came over “like it was nothing.”

Valerie Tailleur, the owner of Seaport Gifts and Treasures in Port Medway, said there was some flooding at the back of the building, but no damage.

Power loss frustrating

Tailleur said the loss of power has been her main frustration.

She said as of noon Sunday she had been without power for 24 hours and Nova Scotia Power has not given her an estimated time for it to be restored.

She said she was without power for five or six days during post-tropical storm Dorian.

Tailleur said it takes a longer time to get services and have power restored because she lives in a rural community.

“We’re in a swath of over 3,000 people that have been without power, and it seems to always be us,” she said.

She said her business is a community hub where people go to grab a cup of coffee and something to eat. She said she is losing money because she is unable to offer her normal service.

Scott Myers, owner of Jo-Ann’s Deli, Market and Bake Shop in Mahone Bay, said there was no significant damage to the property from the storm.

He said the business lost some ice cream and prepared foods as a result of the power outage, but employees helped out with generators and he was able to save most of the food.

Orchards fare well

In the Annapolis Valley, Jim Stirling of Stirling Fruit Farms in Greenwich said his orchards fared well.

“Pretty good, not as bad as what we were expecting,” Stirling said.

“We had some drops on the trees. We don’t know how much bruising there is in the fruit still on the trees,” Stirling said.

He said bruised apples on the trees can be picked and used for cider, but apples that drop to the ground are “practically useless.”

When asked if he was worried Saturday afternoon as Lee blew through the region, Stirling said: “I just took a nap. There’s nothing you can do about it. So you just wait and see what happens.”