Chris Buote, owner of North Rustico Home Hardware Building Centre, says his manager came up with the idea to give away old stock shingles for people to patch their roofs. "I loved it and said let's put them out. From there, word caught on pretty fast," he says. - Cody McEachernNORTH RUSTICO, P.E.I. — As residents across the province try to recover from the aftermath of post-tropical storm Fiona, a P.E.I. business is helping Islanders deal with damaged roofs.
“My manager, Jim Clark, came up with the idea, and I loved it and said let's put them out. From there, word caught on pretty fast.”Buote said after staff members shared a few posts on Facebook, and a number of people came by during the day and evening to pick up some shingles. Paul Strachan, an airline pilot who relocated to P.E.I. recently, was one of the people searching through the piles of shingles.
“Some fared better, some worse. One guy down the hill from me lost his trailer. It flipped over. Another person lost half their roof, so there is insulation blowing around all over the place. It's all just a mess,” he said. Paul Strachan, an airline pilot who relocated to P.E.I. recently, says he was happy to find the shingles, as his home had lost a few large chunks of them. He says it's encouraging to see local businesses and Islanders help each other out. - Cody McEachern