HALIFAX, Nova Scotia: Powerful storm Fiona slammed into eastern Canada on Saturday, September 24 with hurricane force winds, blowing over trees and power lines, and leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without electricity.
The US National Hurricane Center said the center of the storm, now known as Post-Tropical Cyclone Fiona, was now in the Gulf of St Lawrence after racing through Nova Scotia. Reports of downed trees and power lines were widespread in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Gary Hatcher, a retiree who lives in Sydney, Nova Scotia, near where the storm made landfall, said it was a wild ride last night, sounded like the whole roof was going to blow off. A maple tree was toppled in his back yard, but did not damage his house.
Fiona, which devastated parts of the Caribbean nearly a week ago, made landfall between Canso and Guysborough, Nova Scotia, where the Canadian Hurricane Centre said it recorded what could have been the worst barometric pressure to hit land in the country's history.
Dave DeBlois of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia said he was up all night and there was no major damage to his home. He said it was a bit scary at times. Some 79 per cent of customers, or 414,000, were without power in Nova Scotia, and 95 percent, or 82,000, had lost power on Prince Edward Island, utility companies said.
Spotty mobile service was also seen in the region. Multiple road closures were reported by police across the region.