Dangerous storm surge warning issued for Nova Scotia
HALIFAX — Residents of Halifax and Nova Scotia’s eastern shore were being warned Tuesday to stay away from the coastline as Hurricane Teddy churned its way toward Atlantic Canada.
By noon, the immense Category 2 hurricane — measuring about 1,000 kilometres across — was about 500 km south of Nova Scotia. But it had picked up speed, travelling northward at 45 km/h.
Chuck Porter, the minister responsible for Nova Scotia’s Emergency Management Office, told reporters his biggest concern was the threat of storm surges.
“I know people are attracted to the shoreline and they love to watch the waves,” Porter said Tuesday.
“I want to caution folks: please stay back. If you get trapped out there, somebody has to come and try to rescue you, putting people in jeopardy unnecessarily.”
Porter said sightseers hoping to watch waves crashing into the shore should think twice because they could be swept out to sea by waves expected to reach 10-metres tall.
Bob Robichaud, meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax, said the storm surge along the eastern shore will come in two waves — as high tide approaches late Tuesday and again when daylight breaks on Wednesday, as Teddy’s centre moves over the province.
“Over the last number of years, we’ve lost a lot of people who have gone to the coast to watch those waves,” Robichaud said. “That’s what we need to avoid, with this particular storm, especially.”
Localized flooding is expected as winds along the coast are forecast to reach 90 km/h Tuesday and more than 100 km/h on Wednesday morning.
At the Sheet Harbour Discount convenience store, about 115 km east of Halifax, manager Karen Malay said plenty of her customers were stocking up on essentials.
“They’re buying extra chips and pop, cigarettes, flashlights and batteries,” Malay said. “And they’re getting extra lottery tickets for the next couple of draws.”
As well, Malay said customers were telling her that one of the local service stations had run out of gasoline — which was confirmed by the station manager.