The Ottawa/Gatineau region was recently affected by a severe weather incident. Environment Canada has confirmed the area was hit on Friday, September 21, 2018 with six tornadoes.
The Mayor of Ottawa has referred to this event as, "the worst natural disaster in the history of Ottawa." Tens of thousands of citizens were without power, and as many as 150 buildings were damaged so severely they were no longer habitable. Hundreds more were damaged, and debris from what has been estimated to be one thousand trees, was scattered around the city.
As you can imagine, it took a lot of work from our Security Guards, management and support staff to support our clients during the event. We want to send out an enormous thank you to all of our local staff who went above and beyond to support our client sites, such as The Ottawa Hospital, who lost power during this ordeal.
Now that the event is over we turn our attention to those in need, including our own Paladin Family members. Melanie Sterling, and Mehdi (Alfonso) Zaidi were both severely affected by the recent weather event. Both employees resided where tornadoes touched down and have suffered significant losses. Melanie lost access to her apartment and all of her belongings, as her building had been declared unsafe. Mehdi has severe damage to his house, including his roof. He also lost his car, as a tree was blown through one window and out another.
These employees are valued members of the Paladin family and our hearts go out to them during this difficult time. We are keeping in close touch with them while we organize fundraising efforts. Please contact the Ottawa office if you're interested in contributing.