Evacuations ordered as record-breaking storm Fiona slams into Quebec, Atlantic provinces

"Driving rain and sustained winds ... debris on the road network, fishermen worried about their ships. No, the storm is not over."

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Montreal Gazette

Post-tropical storm Fiona arrived in Nova Scotia early Saturday morning on the Canso Peninsula.

Several roads were closed in Îles-de-la-Madeleine and residents were told to stay inside. If they are in danger, they were advised by Urgence Québec to call 911.

Two submerged coastal sectors were evacuated by 9 a.m., tweeted PQ MNA Joël Arseneau, who represents Îles-de-la-Madeleine. “Driving rain and sustained winds … debris on the road network, fishermen worried about their ships. No, the storm is not over.”

Fiona was churning out hurricane-force winds when it made landfall at 7 a.m. at the eastern edge of mainland Nova Scotia. Parts of the province declared a state of emergency.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre in Dartmouth, N.S., says Fiona set a record for the lowest-ever barometric pressure for a tropical storm making landfall in Canada. The unofficial recorded pressure at Hart Island was 931.6 millibars, a measure of the storm’s strength.

The centre says widespread gusts between 90 and 120 kilometres per hour have been reported over Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Îles-de-la-Madeleine and southwestern Newfoundland, with a peak gust reaching 161 km/h over Beaver Island, N.S.

Hydro-Québec reported shortly before 6 a.m. that 1,476 customers in Îles-de-la-Madeleine were without power. In Gaspésie, 1,810 Hydro-Québec customers were also without power.

People in Fiona’s path have been advised to have provisions for a 72-hour period.

CAQ Leader François Legault and Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois suspended their Quebec election campaigns Friday night as Fiona was bearing down on Quebec, including Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Legault planned to resume his campaign by 11 a.m. Saturday.

Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade said she was closely monitoring the situation but did not say whether she would suspend activities.

Conservative Party of Quebec Leader Eric Duhaime’s team sent an agenda for Saturday that included a press conference and campaigning in his Quebec City-area riding.

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon suspended his campaign Friday because of flu-like symptoms.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delayed his departure for Japan, where he is to attend the funeral of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. “We are working with the provinces and we are ready to help if needed. Be careful,” Trudeau tweeted. “Our team continues to monitor Hurricane Fiona and the situation in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.”

Early Friday, the hurricane centre said Fiona was expected to pass through Cape Breton in the morning, and then reach Quebec’s lower north shore and southeastern Labrador by late evening.

The storm knocked out power to more than 500,000 customers in the Maritimes early Saturday, with most of the damage reported in eastern Nova Scotia, across P.E.I. and Cape Breton. “Comfort centres” and shelters have been opened in several Nova Scotia municipalities.

Widespread gusts between 90 and 120 km/h have been reported over Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, and southwestern Newfoundland, with a peak gusts to 161 km/h over Beaver Island, N.S.

Parts of eastern mainland Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have recorded 75 to 125 mm of rainfall.

The “historic” storm was forecast to bring between 100 to 200 millimetres of rain across much of Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec, with more than 200 millimetres expected to fall in areas closer to the storm’s path.

Storm surge warnings are in effect for most of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, southwestern Newfoundland, eastern Nova Scotia and the East Coast of New Brunswick, with waves possibly surpassing 12 metres in eastern portions of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cabot Strait.

Coastal flooding remains a threat for parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island including the Northumberland Strait, the Gulf of St. Lawrence region including Îles-de-la-Madeleine and eastern New Brunswick, southwest Newfoundland, St. Lawrence Estuary and Quebec’s Lower North Shore.

Hurricane and tropical storm warnings are in effect for most areas, along with wind and rainfall warnings from the Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre.

The hurricane centre said conditions will improve over western Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick later in the day, but will persist elsewhere.

Presse Canadienne contributed to this report.

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