The disaster has been forgotten by many, so those involved decided to band together and hold an annual memorial in the deceased’s name. The memorial was a success, raising thousands of dollars for local charities and allowing a forum for the survivors to tell their stories.
Emily Ignatieff told the audience at the memorial her emotional story. “Both my husband and son were on the S.S. Imo. When I learned that the shockwave I felt came from a collision involving the S.S. Imo, I was so worried for their safety. My son made it out alive, with only minor injuries from flying debris, but my husband tragically drowned while swimming to shore.”
“I was at home getting ready to walk to work when I heard the explosion from Cape Breton,” Bill Irwin recalls. “I was shocked when I later learned that I was over 400 kilometres from the epicentre of the explosion.”
Later investigations discovered that the blast was heard in a 500 kilometre radius, all the way out to the far side of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
The catastrophe was partly attributed to the fact that the Mont Blanc failed to fly a red flag showing that it was carrying munitions, so as not to become a target to enemy naval ships.
The accident remains to this day the world’s largest man-made accidental explosion. After the explosion, Medical aid stormed in throughout the country in order to help the wounded. The hospitals were filled in no time. By afternoon, doctors and nurses from Amherst, Truro, Kentville and New Glasgow came to Halifax. The trains they arrived on left loaded with casualties and refugees heading away from the horror.
The destruction from the explosion was enormous. With over 12000 buildings severely damaged and 2000 completely destroyed, 6000 people were completely homeless. 30 shelters sprang up around Halifax, but many people just stayed anywhere they could find a warm dry place.
