Weakened Fiona still washes away homes in Canada
Fiona, now a post-tropical cyclone after a destructive run as a hurricane, has already washed away homes, toppled trees and left thousands without power in Atlantic Canada after the storm made landfall early Saturday.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre called Fiona a “historic storm for eastern Canada” and a “potential landmark weather event” in a region where hurricanes are rare.
Fiona is expected to continue to gradually weaken over the next few days.
Before passing through Bermuda on Friday, the storm devastated large swaths of the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Officials in Bermuda reported no serious damage.
At least five people have died after Hurricane Fiona — two in Puerto Rico, two in the Dominican Republic and one in the French island of Guadeloupe.
As Fiona ripped through Atlantic Canada, it washed away homes, toppled trees and power lines, and tore roofs off houses. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Brian Button, mayor of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland, said houses already were being washed away by floodwaters.
“I’m seeing homes in the ocean,” said René J. Roy, chief editor at Wreckhouse Press. “I’m seeing rubble floating all over the place. It’s complete and utter destruction. There’s an apartment that is gone, that is literally just rubble.”
Mike Savage, mayor of Halifax, told CNN that 100 people were displaced when an apartment roof collapsed.
Police in Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island reported downed trees and posted photos of the damage on Twitter, including one that shows the roof of a home that had collapsed.
“Conditions are like nothing we’ve ever seen,” the police department said on Twitter.
Fiona made landfall in Canada early Saturday morning with sustained winds of up to 100 mph, the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane, according to AccuWeather.
Puerto Ricans furious over lack of power
Half of Puerto Rico was still without power more than five days after Hurricane Fiona struck, and Puerto Ricans were growing frustrated with the island’s private electricity transmission and distribution company.
The situation was worsened by fuel disruptions that forced grocery stores, gas stations and other essential businesses to close.