Igor leaves thousands stranded in Newfoundland (from CBC News) Tens of thousands of people in Newfoundland were still cut off from important services Thursday morning as the massive cleanup after Hurricane Igor kicked into gear.Strings of communities along the Burin Peninsula in southern Newfoundland and the Bonavista Peninsula to the north were cut off from road access to highways, and were either running out of gas or without the electricity to operate pumps. Broken bridges and washed-out roads were making it impossible for vital supplies, including food, to be trucked in. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was scheduled to fly to Newfoundland on Thursday night and tour damaged areas Friday...Tom Hedderson, Newfoundland and Labrador's acting minister of emergency, said he was startled when he flew over some of the most heavily damaged areas Wednesday with Premier Danny Williams. Hedderson said the repair bill will cost at least three or four times the $27-million incurred by tropical storm Chantal in 2007. Hedderson was particularly struck by damage he saw from the skies over Random Island. Barbara Dean-Simmons, a journalist who lives on the island, said the military is needed to help residents rebuild basic infrastructure. "It's just incredible. I can't describe it," she said. "We're on our own, basically. Neighbours helping neighbours."Police urged people to remain calm amid reports of shortages of vital supplies. "People do not have to panic," RCMP Sgt. Boyd Merrill said. "They do not have to rush to the grocery store. We'll get through this." Power remained out in some areas, including numerous pockets of St. John's. Newfoundland Power official Bob Pike told CBC News that 15,400 households and business were without power Thursday morning, well below the 60,000 affected on Tuesday.Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2010/09/23/igor-stranded-cleanup-923.html#ixzz10NUtrAYl
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