A man nicknamed “Uber Rob” is once again helping residents of a flooded New Brunswick island to and from their homes.
Rob Dekany’s “Uber Rob’s Ready to Rock and Roll Rapid Relief River Rescue Boat Service” is a one-man ferry to and from Darlings Island, which recently had its only road to the mainland flooded out.
"I just wanted to give them the peace of mind that if you need to get off the island to get to work, to get to school (or) heaven forbid that if a medical emergency ever happened, that they would have a way off the island and to come back home at night,” Dekany told CTV Atlantic.
The service typically operates in the early mornings and then again in the evenings for those coming home. He denies any form of payment.
"For somebody to take his time and volunteer for this, so early in the morning then late at night, it's unbelievable, really," said resident Jim Eastwood.
Areas of New Brunswick have been hit with widespread flooding for several days now. Water levels are finally starting to recede, but are not expected to recede below the flood stage until later this week.
This comes just a year after the region was hit with record flooding where hundreds of people were forced from their homes. That year, Dekany debuted his “Uber Rob” service as a solo venture to help the community, but this time around, he’s working with a shuttle brought in by the provincial government.
"We're working perfectly together, in unison, we're working like a well-oiled machine,” Dekany said. “There's no wait times, nothing, and it's really, really helping out."
The provincial government has said it intends to raise the elevation of the road to Darlings Island to prevent future flooding. In the meantime, Dekany has committed to ferrying residents until the road can reopen.
With files from The Canadian Press
