Powerful storm causes evacuations
STEPHENVILLE: Powerful storm Fiona ripped into eastern Canada yesterday with hurricaneforce winds, forcing evacuations, knocking down trees and powerlines, and reducing many homes on the coast to ‘‘just a pile of rubble in the ocean’’.
The United States National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said the centre of the storm, downgraded from hurricane to posttropical cyclone Fiona, was now in the Gulf of St Lawrence and losing some steam. The NHC cancelled hurricane and tropical storm warnings for the region.
Port aux Basques, on the southwest tip of Newfoundland, population 4067, bore the brunt of the storm’s rage.
The mayor was forced to declare a state of emergency and evacuated parts of the town that suffered flooding and road washouts.
Several homes and an apartment building were dragged out to sea, Port aux Basques community newspaper Wreckhouse Weekly editorinchief Rene Roy told media.
‘‘This is hands down the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen in my life.’’
Roy described many homes as ‘‘just a pile of rubble in the ocean right now’’.
‘‘There is an apartment building that’s literally gone. There are entire streets that are gone.’’
Police are investigating whether a woman had been swept out to sea, media reported.
‘‘We’ve gone through a very difficult morning,’’ Mayor Brian Button said in a Facebook video, adding that the evacuations had been completed. ‘‘We’ll get through this. I promise you, we will get through it.’’
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met members of a government emergency response team yesterday, and later told reporters that the armed forces would be deployed to help with the cleanup.
‘‘We’re seeing reports of significant damage in the region, and recovery is going to be a big effort,’’ Trudeau said.
‘‘We will be there to support every step of the way.’’
Trudeau had delayed his planned departure for Japan to attend the funeral of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, but he now would no longer make the trip. Instead, he would visit the stormdamaged region as soon as possible, he said.
Federal assistance has already been approved for Nova Scotia, and more requests are expected, Trudeau said.
Fiona, which nearly a week ago battered Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean, killed at least eight and knocked out power for virtually all of Puerto Rico’s 3.3 million people during a sweltering heat wave.
While scientists have not yet determined whether climate change influenced Fiona’s strength or behaviour, there is strong evidence that such devastating storms are getting worse.
Some 69% of customers, or 360,720, were without power in Nova Scotia, and 95%, or more than 82,000, had lost power on Prince Edward Island, utility companies said.
Police across the region reported multiple road closures. The region was also experiencing spotty mobile phone service.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said no injuries or fatalities had been reported so far, and officials from both PEI and Nova Scotia said the same.
The storm was weakening as it travelled north.
Philippine authorities started evacuating people from coastal areas yesterday and hundreds were unable to travel by sea as the main island Luzon, including Manila, braces for a category 3 typhoon that continued to strengthen, officials said. — Reuters