Hurricane Fiona knocked out power in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick as it made landfall.
Typhoon Fiona lost power to more than 500,000 customers in eastern Canada, damaging homes with strong winds and rain as it turned from a hurricane to a post-tropical storm.
More than 415,000 Nova Scotia Power customers – about 80 percent of the province – were affected by the power outage Saturday morning. More than 82,000 customers in the province of Prince Edward Island are also without power, while in New Brunswick 44,329 customers are without power.
“There was a lot of damage to furniture and structures but no injuries so far. Once again we are still in the middle of this,” Amanda McDougall, mayor of Cape Breton, told the AP news agency. “It is still horrifying. I’m just sitting here in my living room and it feels like the patio doors are going to break in with those high winds. It’s big and it’s shocking. “
The federal Department of Public Safety recommends against all non-essential travel by car.
A hurricane warning has been issued for coastal areas of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to postpone his trip to Japan to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was assassinated.
“Of course we hope we won’t need much more, but we feel there might be,” Trudeau said. “Follow the instructions of the local authorities and stay there for the next 24 hours.”
The fast moving Fiona lost its power from the Level 4 power it had early Friday while passing through Bermudabut meteorologists warn it could still have stormy winds and bring downpours and big waves.
The Canadian Hurricane Center tweeted early Saturday that Fiona has the lowest pressure ever recorded for a hurricane to make landfall in Canada. Forecasters have warned it could be one of the strongest storms to hit the country.
This is the latest update about #Fiona. Fiona will continue to move northeast today and cause strong winds, waves and high tides.https://t.co/InPO6wTJg2 pic.twitter.com/vfM9Jmqyqg
– Canadian Hurricane Center ECCC (@ECCC_CHC) September 24, 2022
The mayor and council of Cape Breton Regional City have declared a local state of emergency amid widespread power outages, road closures and damage to homes.
