Mayor Raymond Ruben said life is pretty much back to normal in Paulatuk after a brutal windstorm battered the community on Jan. 14, destroying one home, damaging others and cutting off power for a day.

Winds gusted up to 120 km/h according to Environment Canada, though, luckily, temperatures stayed around -10 C.

Sitting above the treeline and away from the driftwood-rich Beaufort Delta, Paulatuk homes generally donSA国际影视传媒檛 have woodstoves and rely on power-based heating systems like boilers or furnaces. Before power could be turned back on, between 15 and 20 families made their way to the communitySA国际影视传媒檚 warm emergency shelter at Angik School, said Ruben.

SA国际影视传媒淭here were some that were good with candles and I think some [used] Coleman stoves,SA国际影视传媒� he said of the others.

Ruben, who had to stay indoors until the winds relented to the point where he could go out and check on people, says some people didnSA国际影视传媒檛 want to leave. One elder insisted on staying home until late at night when Ruben finally convinced him and his wife to go to the school.

One home, on the communitySA国际影视传媒檚 south side, bore the brunt of the damage. Its metal roof and chimney were torn off completely and pieces of it, along with other building materials, were flung around the community. Some of the metal cut power lines, causing the outage.

The family living inside found some rope, tied themselves to each other, and walked to the school after their home was destroyed, said Ruben, but luckily another home in Paulatuk was immediately available and theySA国际影视传媒檙e settled back in.

SA国际影视传媒淎h, itSA国际影视传媒檚 kind of awful,SA国际影视传媒� said Ruben of the mess left behind. SA国际影视传媒淎ll that metal and rubble went northward from where the house was and thatSA国际影视传媒檚 where the schoolyard is, where the playground area is. Metal is wrapped around the slides and the play area. Insulation all over the monkey bars. Just a mess.SA国际影视传媒�

Ruben says it will take a while to dig up all the materials and get the playground clean again, but the community is helping each other out.

SA国际影视传媒淭he big story I guess is the people getting together and helping each other,SA国际影视传媒� said Ruben. SA国际影视传媒淭hose who were able to, they were mostly families but they took them in on the south side when they put power back in for us. Most people were out there helping when they could.SA国际影视传媒�

Another, bigger, house almost had its roof torn off but it only peeled close to five feet before the winds began to relent, said Ruben. Down by the communitySA国际影视传媒檚 docks, a 55-foot trailer toppled over on its side. Sheds were blown over.

SA国际影视传媒淭here was one bad one that got busted apart,SA国际影视传媒� said Ruben. SA国际影视传媒淲hen it settled down we saw the owner down there picking up all his scraps and all of his belongings.SA国际影视传媒�

There was power loss in the community, mostly on the north side, until late afternoon on Jan. 15, a day later. Crews had trouble getting to the community due to the weather conditions and the loss of telephone and Internet service in the community for communications, according to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.