The powerful storm that has left 43 people dead in the Bahamas and over 70,000 people homeless, along with another 800 people stranded on an island off the coast of North Carolina -is now barreling into Halifax, Nova Scotia.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Dorian transitioned into a hurricane-force post-tropical cyclone around 6 p.m. local time. But the distinction does not mean the storm is any weaker, reports CTV News Canada.
The storm is moving to the northeast at 30 mph (48 kph) and packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) with higher gusts. Halifax sustained damage before Dorian landed, with 100 mph winds ripping trees from the ground and flinging construction debris across city roads. One building has already lost its roof and a construction crane fell on a building downtown.
Residents of Nova Scotia and western Newfoundland should be prepared to take shelter from the impact of the storm as it sweeps north over the next several hours, with hurricane-force winds near 100 miles per hour extending outward up to 115 miles (185 kilometers) from the center. Osbourne Head, Nova Scotia, recently reported sustained winds of 68 mph (109 km/h) and a wind gust of 88 mph (142 km/h).
Storm surge and rainfall could produce dangerous life-threatening flooding. Nova Scotia can expect rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches, while New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island could see 3 to 4 inches of rain. Newfoundland and far eastern Quebec can expect 1 to 2 inches of rainfall.
Large swells are increasing along the coast in Atlantic Canada, and they will continue to affect that area during the next few days. “It’s critical actually that folks take no chances. Hunker down and … keep yourself safe and your family safe,” said Halifax Regional Police Insp. Don Moser.
Bob Robichaud, the Canadian Hurricane Centre’s warning preparedness meteorologist, said he expects to see flooding and plenty of uprooted trees. “When we get rainfall amounts that exceed 20 millimeters per hour — which is very possible with this, most likely, that overwhelms many systems — and you tend to get flash flooding,” he said.
People living close to the coast should leave their homes if they feel they are in danger. “The residents know themselves, know their property. So we would recommend that they self-evacuate if they have nowhere else to go,” Erica Fleck said at the press conference. “We could issue mandatory evacuations, but we’re not there at this point.”
