LAWRENCETOWN, N.S. — A major thunder and lightning storm over Lawrencetown in the wee hours of Aug. 20 zapped Valley Waste’s transfer station in the village, forcing it to close temporarily during business hours.
Lawrencetown firefighters received the call of an alarm sounding at 2:29 a.m.
“The alarm was triggered by the lightning strike and automatically contacted the fire department,” said Valley Waste’s Andrew Garrett.
He said there was no fire but the strike knocked out the electrical equipment including the scale, computer, and internet. But he said the damage was confined to the electrical.
Garrett said cost of the damage is not yet know but said it’s covered by insurance.
“It is almost all fixed now,” Garrett said just after 1 p.m. “The scale should be operating by mid-afternoon. We are gradually reopening now.”
He said the transfer station was accepting small loads using volume-based estimates.
“We are also accepting curbside collected waste,” he said. “We expect to be open to all customers by mid-afternoon.”