Halifax ‘bomb cyclone’ sends scaffolding banging into apartment window

A downtown Halifax couple had a frightening wake-up call when a section of scaffolding came loose during a massive wind storm overnight and began crashing into their bedroom window.

The storm brought hurricane-strength winds to the region, causing damage and widespread power outages across the province.

David Garner and his partner live in a third-floor unit at The Alexander, a new building still under construction on Bishop Street.

READ MORE: Halifax cleaning up from ferocious storm, road conditions and storm surge still concern

The pair woke to the sound of a crash from the wall beside their bed at 1 a.m. on Friday.

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“When I got up to look at it, the scaffolding had completely detached from the side of the building,” he said. “At the time when I saw it coming into the window, I thought it was going to crash through the window.”

The two watched in horror as the scaffolding began striking their balcony.

“We decided to leave the apartment at that point,” he said. “We were in our car, watching it smack off the window.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We decided to leave the apartment at that point," he said. "We were in our car, watching it smack off the window."

The two called 911 and police officers arrived, but there was little they could do.

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The large structure eventually became lodged between a balcony and their bedroom window.

“We saw it was lodged and it was stuck and wasn’t moving, so we came to the apartment at 3:30 a.m.,” he said.

READ MORE: Intense storm causing power outages, damage and closures in N.S.

“We took a mattress and slept on the floor away from the window, just in case.”

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By daylight, the construction crew came to secure the scaffolding but told the couple they can’t remove it until Monday.

Garner says he is understanding of the situation, because the storm was so strong and so out of the ordinary.

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