When post-tropical storm Fiona plowed through Atlantic Canada, it left behind destroyed homes and businesses, and thousands without power.
As of 9 a.m. Sunday, remnants of Fiona are over southeastern Labrador and have merged with a trough — a long region of low atmospheric pressure, reports CBC Canada.
Fiona spent early Sunday morning moving inland in southeastern Quebec as a post-tropical storm, according to Environment Canada, where it is expected to dissipate over the Labrador Sea. Winds were at 80 km/h and all wind warnings associated with the storm have ended.
Fiona made landfall between Canso and Guysborough, Nova Scotia, where the Canadian Hurricane Centre said it recorded what may have been the lowest barometric pressure of any storm to hit land in the country’s history.
Now, officials are beginning to account for the damage brought on by Fiona.
In Nova Scotia, where the storm made landfall, powerful winds toppled “an incredible amount” of trees and power lines, washed out roads, littered neighborhoods with debris, and in many cases, snapped whole power poles in half, Premier Tim Houston said, reports CNN News.
“It will take time for Nova Scotia to recover,” he said, reporting “devastating” damage.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that the government approved Nova Scotia’s request for federal assistance and that the Canadian Armed Forces will be deployed to help out in the region, noting that residents lived through a “terrifying” 12 hours Saturday.
“People have seen their homes washed away, seen the winds rip schools’ roofs off,” Trudeau said. “And as Canadians, as we always do in times of difficulty, we will be there for each other.
In Prince Edward Island’s Charlottetown, police shared images of downed power lines over buildings, fallen trees blocking roadways, and piercing through structures. The region’s utility, Maritime Electric, said it was concerned about people out walking and driving on streets where there is widespread damage from downed power lines and possible live wires.
Still, Reuters is reporting thousands of residents across Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Newfoundland were without power and dealing with patchy telecom connections, and government officials pleaded with residents for patience.
They warned that in some cases it would take weeks before essential services are fully restored. We do know that the damage is very extensive, quite likely the worst we have ever seen,” Dennis King, PEI premier, told reporters on Saturday.
Premiers of the affected provinces told the federal government they need long-term support around public and critical infrastructure after the storm tore off roofs of schools and community centers, as well as a quick relief to businesses and families to get on with normal life quickly.
