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Hurricane

"I anxiously looked around, my heart palpitating, just in time to see an alligator slink into the green algae covered water that was on either side of us. I swallowed hard, and my heart raced even faster. Alligators were a different type of predator—the one thing I was afraid of. Now I was on my own personal swamp tour. What if my kidnappers left me in the middle of a swamp with five of them creeping up on me? I’ve had that nightmare before and—oh no, if my dreams really are a sign of the future—I couldn’t breathe now."

Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…

"I anxiously looked around, my heart palpitating, just in time to see an alligator slink into the green algae covered water that was on either side of us. I swallowed hard, and my heart raced even faster. Alligators were a different type of predator—the one thing I was afraid of. Now I was on my own personal swamp tour. What if my kidnappers left me in the middle of a swamp with five of them creeping up on me? I’ve had that nightmare before and—oh no, if my dreams really are a sign of the future—I couldn’t breathe now."

Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…

Originally published in the Sept. 30, 2010 edition of the Packet.

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Birt Passingham looks out the window of the Port Rexton Volunteer Fire Department, wondering how the hurricane didn't sweep away the horses in a nearby field.

Munching on a slice of apricot loaf, discussing the latest news with department members, he looks pretty comfortable for a stranded traveller living out of his car trunk.

Birt and his wife Cathy were vacationing in Newfoundland from Sarnia, Ontario, touring the island since Sept. 10.

Their trip took an extraordinary turn when Igor hit, as they were driving towards Clarenville from Bonavista on Route 235.

"We headed down not realizing how bad it was going to get," said Cathy, recounting how rain was coming from all directions Tuesday morning. "The further we went, the worse it got."

To avoid flooded sections — a few feet deep, according to Birt — they changed course onto Route 230. The couple stopped in Port Rexton when the weather turned too dire to drive on.

Tim and Doris Hatter of Bayswater, Nova Scotia, were also traveling through in the area when the hurricane struck.

Igor left the Hatters stranded in Catalina for two days. With the roads to Clarenville and beyond closed, they too were stuck in Port Rexton, seeking refuge at the town's volunteer fire department.

At first, the Passinghams were afraid.

"Not knowing what's coming next... it's scary," says Cathy.

Nothing could prepare the Hatters for the coming days.

"We had no expectations," said Tim. "We didn't know what we were going to get."

But what they found was what Cathy calls a "gentle community."

Local residents donated toiletries and did their laundry. They fed them hot meals and offered hot showers.

For the first couple nights, someone remained at the hall to watch over them.

Another night, the department hosted a kitchen party, complete with accordions, turkey dinners and screech-in ceremonies.

The Passinghams and Hatters are not only touched by Port Rexton's charity, but also impressed by how a volunteer department can serve the surrounding communities in such extreme circumstances.

"The coordination here is unbelievable. You're not going to get this in a big city," says Tim on how efficiently and constantly supplies and medicines were delivered.

"Some of these people have been running all hours of the night, trying to help everybody out," adds Dorothy.

Though the Hatters are amazed at the commitment of the Port Rexton's volunteers, anything less than "above and beyond" is not an option.

"We're there to serve and protect. That's what the fire department is and that's what we're trying to do," says member Christine Hiscock, who spent the past week delivering food and medicine to nearby communities.

The stranded couples have been helping as best they can by washing dishes and sweeping floors, "but we can never pay them back for what they've done for us," says Birt of the new friends they've met.

When Tim looks back, he says he'll remember most the "cooperation, people and new friends that we've made."

"They've taken us in like family. They opened their arms and accepted us," says Cathy, with tears in her eyes.

On Saturday it looked as if it would be their last night in Port Rexton, as the roads to Clarenville were expected to be passable the next morning.

Are they looking forward to going home?

"We are home," Tim says. "We're going back to our second home."

Hurricane Mk XIIa 5711 (G-HURI) was built in 1942 by the Canadian Car Foundry as part of their sixth production batch and it joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1943. It is believed to have served with 123 Squadron at Debert before going to 127 and 129 Squadrons at Dartmouth and onto 1 Operational Training Unit at Bagotville.

Struck of charge from the RCAF in 1947 it was purchased by a syndicate in Saskatchewan. It was restored by Paul Mercer in 1985 and made its first post-restoration flight in 1989. Historic Aircraft Collection acquired the Hurricane in 2002; it is still based at Duxford where it is the perfect stablemate for HAC's Spitfire Mk.Vb.

After undergoing an 18 month extensive programme of repairs and maintenance the Hurricane reappeared in an entirely new paint scheme for 2004. G-HURI now flies as 'Z5140' with the code letters HA-C and is in a paint scheme that was worn by a Gloster-built Hurricane IIB, flown with 126 Squadron during the siege of Malta. Z5140 arrived at Malta on June 6th, 1941 during Operation Rocket, having flown off HMS Ark Royal. Whilst it would be expected that the aircraft would be in a tropical paint finish, the Malta squadrons were desperate to receive any aircraft regardless of colour and the first ones were kept in the familiar "Battle of Britain" green and brown scheme.

In September 2005 Hurricane “Z5140” became the first Hurricane to return to the Mediterranean island of Malta since the Second World War. It flew there together with Spitfire BM597 as part of the Merlins Over Malta project.

Hurricane Mk XIIa G-HURI is on permanent display in Hangar 4 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.

Information courtesy of Historic Aircraft Collection website