Powerful winds packed a punch
More than 45,000 Nova Scotia Power customers were left without power as a result of strong winds this past Friday night that brought down trees and power lines and had wind gusts of over 100 km/h in parts of southwestern Nova Scotia.
The largest number of outages were in southwestern
Nova Scotia, the Valley and along the province’s south shore.
Environment Canada recorded wind gusts of 107 km/h and 110 km/h at the Yarmouth airport, with other strong gusts in the 90s. In some parts of the region people reported recording stronger gusts.
Baccaro Point also saw wind gusts above 100 km/h and Brier Island had gusts in the 90s, according to Environment Canada.
Nova Scotia Power had more than 190 crews out across the province Saturday restoring power and they were kept busy throughout the weekend. At 11:30 a.m. on Saturday the number of affected customers had dropped to 33,159. By 2:15 p.m. the outage map showed the number of customers without power were 26,038. As of Monday morning at 8 a.m., there were still 305 affected customers.
In Yarmouth County, a section of the Main Shore Road was left impassable by about a half-dozen downed trees blocking the road, which had also snapped power poles and brought down lines. People throughout the tri-counties also reported down trees and branches on their properties with some people losing shingles or siding from their homes.
In Brier Island, the raging wind resulted in damage to a fishing vessel — the Miss Jill Marie — at the wharf. The owners of the boat were away so fishermen and community members rushed to the wharf to mitigate any further damage. In Freeport, the newly renovated legion and community hall also sustained damage.
The Église Sainte-Marie church building in Church Point, Digby County, also sustained significant damage to its steeple from the winds. A large gaping hole was present after the storm passed.
On our Tri-County Vanguard newsroom Facebook pages on Friday evening we asked people what conditions were like in their area. Here is a small sampling:
• Simone Deveau: Power is out in Hectanooga and the wind has blown the steps from the deck. It's powerful.
• Melissa Owens: A bunch of trees across the top of Edson Foot Road. Took the other way around and another load of trees down on the Main Shore Road. Had to turn back around and go the long way back to Hebron.
• Karen Thimot: House is twisting and cracking. Lights flickering. Trees down.
• Natalie Gower Isles:
Power out for a few minutes in Bear River. Came right back on. Wind sounds like a freight train.
• Amy Woolvett: Power in Sable. Fence blew down. I’ve seen two people have had their windows smashed by flying debris.
• Elizabeth Doucette: Pole down and wire in front of the driveway and in the road. The pole tore out from the house. Pretty bad situation.
• Sharon Saulnier: We had a reading of 120 km/h wind in Pinkney's Point around 9 p.m. Also lost power around the same time.
• Shane and Dawn Boudreau: Welshtown is in the dark..wind howling..Erie night out there.
• Adam Babin: I don't know where it came from but a mattress flew into the side of my house. Power's on though so that's good.