Damage caused by Fiona in the Burnt Islands in Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada
MONTREAL (AFP) – Parts of eastern Canada woke up to damage from powerful Storm Fiona on Sunday, as meteorologists said the worst weather had passed.
The storm swept through Nova Scotia and Newfoundland on Saturday, cutting power to thousands and washing homes into the sea as it brought strong winds and rain “never seen before,” police said.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) says that two women have swept into the ocean in Newfoundland. One was rescued, and investigators were looking into the second case.
The mayor of Channel Port-au-Pasque, Brian Patton, in the southwestern tip of Newfoundland, said in a Facebook video Saturday night that at least 20 homes had been destroyed and that the community looked like a “complete war zone”.
“We have destruction everywhere.”
Button said a request for boiling water was in effect, encouraging residents in need to take shelter at a local elementary school.
Fiona has caused damage in the Burnt Islands, in Newfoundland and in the province of Labrador in Canada
As of late Saturday afternoon, nearly 500,000 homes across the region had lost power as the storm battered a wide area, cutting down countless trees and ripping off roofs.
“Power lines are down everywhere,” Erica Flick, assistant president of the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, told CBC. “It’s not safe to be on the roads.”
Despite the downgraded to a post-tropical hurricane, Fiona is still packed with hurricane-force winds of 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour as it first headed to Canada after hitting the Caribbean earlier, according to meteorologists. air.
By early Sunday, the storm’s maximum sustained winds had slowed to 50 mph, according to the Canadian Hurricane Center (CHC), with the government forecasting “strong winds” over northern Newfoundland, southeastern Labrador and southeastern Quebec.
“These winds will disappear later today,” CHC said.
– Nova Scotia hit hard –
The storm first made landfall in Nova Scotia around 3 a.m. (0600 GMT), according to the CHC.
Vehicles navigate around malfunctioning power lines in Reserve Mines, Nova Scotia on September 24, 2002
By Saturday night, 294,000 homes were still without power in the county, Nova Scotia Power reported, although repairs had begun on some lines.
The head of the facility said the outages could last for days.
In New Brunswick, more than 25,000 were still without power while 82,000 customers were without power on Prince Edward Island.
“Trees have fallen on houses, trees have collapsed on cars, there are buildings that have collapsed,” Fire Chief Lloyd MacIntosh in the northern Sydney town of Nova Scotia told CBC.
Police in Charlottetown, the capital of Prince Edward Island, released pictures of tangled power lines and pierced roofs with felled trees.
“It’s unbelievable,” Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown said on Radio Canada. “It’s stronger than Hurricane Juan in 2003.”
“Nova Scotia will take some time to recover. I just ask everyone for patience,” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said in a statement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who canceled his trip to Japan for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s funeral so he could travel to the affected areas, told Canadians that “the government stands ready to support the provinces with any necessary resources.”
Storm damage seen from Fiona on September 24, 2022 in Sydney, Nova Scotia
“We think first and foremost of the people who have gone through the terrifying 12 hours,” Trudeau said during a news conference on Saturday, adding that the country’s military would help with recovery efforts.
Canada has issued severe weather warnings for parts of its east coast, advising people to put supplies on hold for at least 72 hours.
Rainfall up to 7.5 inches (192 mm) was recorded in Nova Scotia, with waves up to 40 feet (12 m) hitting Nova Scotia and western Newfoundland.
CHC said early Sunday that the storm passed over Nova Scotia and moved inland to southeastern Quebec, and predicted it would continue to weaken as it passed through southeastern Labrador and over the Labrador Sea.
This satellite bulletin image shows Posttropical Storm Fiona over eastern Canada at 13:50 GMT on September 24, 2022.
Fiona killed at least four people in Puerto Rico earlier this week, according to US media, while two deaths were reported in the Dominican Republic and one in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, a US region still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria five years ago.
The storm swept through Bermuda on Friday. There were no reports of deaths or serious damage.
Empty outdoor dining space at a restaurant in Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda, as Hurricane Fiona passes away from Atlantic Island
As the Caribbean licked its wounds, Cuba, Jamaica and Florida were preparing Sunday for the arrival of Tropical Storm Ian, which is expected to gain strength in the coming days to reach “or near the strength of a major hurricane,” the National Health Commission said.
In anticipation of the storm, NASA canceled Tuesday’s scheduled launch of its historic unmanned mission to the moon, and Biden approved a state of emergency in Florida.