The post-tropical cyclone Fiona tore through the country’s Atlantic provinces with hurricane-strength winds
© AFP / Michael King
A powerful storm has left a trail of devastation through Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec after making landfall in Canada early on Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone.
With hurricane-strength winds, torrential rains and towering waves, Fiona destroyed buildings and swept at least 12 entire structures into the ocean, according to a resident of Port Aux Basques who spoke to the Associated Press.
Some 415,000 Nova Scotia residents – about four in five – experienced power outages, while 82,000 inhabitants of Prince Edward Island (95% of the island’s residents) were also left in the dark, and 44,329 lost electricity in New Brunswick. Of those, 380,000 remained without power as of Saturday afternoon, according to the CEO of Nova Scotia Power, who blamed the “unprecedented” winds and dangerous weather for the delay in repairs.
To imagine the extent of damage consider that this is just ONE wave, invading and battering just ONE house in Burgeo. The destruction as Fiona dwindles over many, many hours will be considerable. My friend Steve Hiscock and @onthego correspondent with BBS sent me this: #nlwxpic.twitter.com/WNmT37aIqk
— AnthonyGermain (@AnthonyGermain) September 24, 2022
The military has been deployed to affected areas to assist in recovery efforts, removing downed trees and restoring transportation links, Defense Minister Anita Anand announced on Saturday, though she did not mention how many troops would be detailed for this purpose or how long they would be there.
‼️ Fiona has provisionally broken Canada’s national air pressure record, with 931.6 hPa recorded at Hart Island, Nova Scotia according to @ECCC_CHC.Gusts of 140 km/h have been reached in Sidney, NS & hundreds of thousands are without power.pic.twitter.com/u0wi5WYY7u
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) September 24, 2022
Fiona had the lowest pressure of any storm to make landfall in Canada, according to the Canadian Hurricane Center. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned that “things are only getting worse” weather-wise, blaming the freak weather event on climate change and calling for more “resilient” infrastructure.
Storm Fiona washes house away in Eastern Canada pic.twitter.com/g74h4emf1l
— PressTV Extra (@PresstvExtra) September 24, 2022
Despite the extensive property damage, no deaths have been confirmed, though police did report a woman from Channel-Port Aux Basques missing and said she may have been swept out to sea.
The videos I am getting from Port aux Basques are heartbreaking. This is another video from our @NTVNewsNL crew in the area. #NLwx#fionapic.twitter.com/iFSU5sX88w
— Eddie Sheerr (@EddieSheerr) September 24, 2022
Meanwhile, Florida has declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Ian is expected to become a hurricane on Sunday. The storm is projected to hit Florida’s west coast by midweek.
