Saskatoon man stuck in Newfoundland trying to make his way home

A Saskatoon businessman is stuck in Newfoundland in the midst of massive snowfall and a state of emergency.

Norm Lucas with S.O Asher Consultants flew into St. John’s on Thursday for a business trip. Almost immediately, he knew he would be there for a while.

“They literally shut the airport down and stopped sending aircraft in within an hour of me arriving, so it was too late for me to get out,” he told 650 CKOM’s Brent Loucks.

At first, Lucas was skeptical.

“I thought they were dead wrong with the forecast,” he said. “It was crystal blue sky, (with) not a breath of wind. It was a gorgeous day and then, boom, out of nowhere, the super storm moved in.”

The piles of snow forced him to stay at a hotel. With the airport now reopened, he has a flight tentatively scheduled for Wednesday evening, depending on the weather.

However, he has still managed to find some good in the experience.

“It has been great to experience it, but not be in fear of (my) well-being,” he said.

Lucas credits Sullivan Power, owner of the Blue on Water Hotel, for being a gracious host through the emergency situation.

“The staff have been incredible, just taking care of us. They literally were coming in with backpacks and snowshoes just to make sure we had food for the weekend,” Lucas said.

“It has been a lot of fun for the last six days, but it’s time to go back.”