Dorian lashes east Canada at hurricane force most of Sunday

TORONTO—The storm that already walloped the Virgin Islands, Bahamas and North Carolina lashed at fareastern Canada with hurricane- force winds for much of Sunday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people before beginning to weaken late in the day.

Dorian hit near the city of Halifax Saturday afternoon, ripping roofs off apartment buildin gs, toppling a huge construction crane and uprooting trees. There were no reported deaths in Canada, though the storm was blamed for at least 50 elsewhere along its path.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the post-tropical cyclone was centered about 65 miles west-southwest of St. Anthony, Newfoundland, in late afternoon Sunday. Its top sustained winds had slipped to 65 mph, below the 74 mph threshold of hurricane force. It was heading to the northeast, roughly up the St. Lawrence River, at 23 mph.

The track was taking take the storm near or over northwestern Newfoundland or eastern Labrador and then out over the North Atlantic by evening.

Nova Scotia officials asked people in the province to stay off the roads so crews could safety remove trees and debris and restore power.

The government said up to 700 Canadian troops would be fanning out across the Maritimes to help restore electricity, clear roadways and evacuate residents in flooded areas

Nova Scotia Power Inc. chief executive Karen Hutt said over 400,000 Nova Scotia Power customers lost power at the peak of t he storm and 50,000 had since been restored. About 80% of Nova Scotia's homes and businesses were blacked out — the highest in the company's history. Hutt said some customers could remain without service for days.

On Prince Edward Island, about 75% of homes and businesses had no electricity by Sunday afternoon, according to the province' s Public Safety Department.

Widespread blackouts affecting up to 80,000 NB Power customers were reported in southern New Brunswick.