Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Panniqtuuq (Feb 03/03) - Ravens were not the only things flying through the sky in Panniqtuuq last week. Wind gusting as strong as 115 kilometres per hour sent pieces of plywood and sheet metal soaring through the air.

An emergency shelter was established at Attagoyuk high school for residents who wished to use it.

The high winds began on Jan. 29 at around 10:30 a.m. By the following day, the winds were subsiding but the storm was not over.

"It was awful. It was harsh. I was in and out all day but you couldn't drive anywhere. It was just too dangerous," said Donna Lee, an employee of the Auyuittuq Lodge.

Lee has lived in Panniqtuuq for 15 years. She said the only other time she remembers a storm in the community this big was about 10 years ago.

School was cancelled during this latest storm and the power went out, but only for about an hour.

"A portion of the roof at Alookie school blew off. It hit a truck and the power substation. It caused considerable damage," said RCMP Cpl. Law Power.

On an emergency community check, Power said, he saw considerable flying debris. He said the detachment received countless reports of boats blowing away and sheds being torn to pieces.

"You actually thought the wind was going to pick you up and blow you away," said Power.

Yvonne Bilan-Wallace from Environment Canada said the weather system caused a lot of havoc.

"On Jan. 30 there were 12 Nunavut communities faced with high winds and blizzard warnings," said Bilan-Wallace.

Panniqtuuq RCMP said the storm was bad but it could have been worse. No one was seriously injured or left stranded.

One man was struck in the back of the head by a piece of flying debris. He was brought to the local health centre for medical attention.