STRAIT AREA: With the damage compiled, the work of restoring services and repairing infrastructure is underway after Hurricane Fiona hit the Strait region with powerful wind, heavy rain, and high seas last weekend.
Bob Robichaud, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC), told last Saturday’s provincial media briefing that the hurricane made landfall in the Strait area early on the morning of Sept 24.
“The storm was declared post-tropical, right around midnight Atlantic Time, and then subsequently made landfall in Guysborough County, sometime between 3 and 4 a.m., before it crossed Cape Breton,” he confirmed.
Early Saturday morning, the CHC posted on Twitter that Hurricane Fiona landed with “an unofficial recorded pressure at Hart Island of 931.6 (millibars), this makes Fiona the lowest pressured land falling storm on record in Canada.”
During a media briefing on Sept. 22, Robichaud explained that the Hurricane interacted with a trough of low pressure located over the eastern part of the United States that moved into western portions of Atlantic Canada, resulting in an “extremely strong and dangerous storm.”
Robichaud said there were rainfall amounts between 100 and 150 millimetres north of Truro.
“The highest rain, certainly in most areas, from yesterday morning up until this morning saw upwards of 80 or 90 millimetres,” Ian Hubbard, a meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Centre, told The Reporter on Sept. 24.
With storm surges of up to 2.5 metres expected along the Atlantic coast, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) reported seas from 11 to 14 metres along the Eastern Shore, at Forchu seas were measured from 12 to 15 metres, and some waves over eastern portions of the Gulf of St. Lawrence were higher than 12 metres.
“We have had reports of some coastal flooding, but some of those reports are still coming in,” noted Robichaud.
Troy Webb, with the Department of Public Works, told the Sept. 24 provincial media briefing that transportation infrastructure was “hit hard.”
“Repairing all this damage, it’s going to be a very big job,” he said.
Marla MacInnis, Communications Advisor for the Province of Nova Scotia, emailed The Reporter to note that Department of Public Works crews across the province are cleaning up “significant amounts” of downed trees.
“These efforts will help improve access to roads for Nova Scotians, will facilitate Nova Scotia Power’s work to restore power, and will make it possible for public works staff to conduct full damage assessments of provincial transportation infrastructure,” she wrote.
MacInnis said the department has completed repairs to roads the southern part of Inverness County, including Big Brook Road, Shore Road, Glenora Road, and Little Mabou Road.
“Work continues on many other roads and bridges here, and throughout the province,” she wrote. “Nova Scotians are encouraged to stay off the roads if they can.”
During the Sept. 24 briefing, Premier Tim Houston confirmed that he requested military and disaster aid from the federal government, then on Monday announced disaster financial assistance for those who suffered damage from the storm.
“Damage assessments are already well underway, and I can tell you our situation right now is where none of us want it to be,” Houston said. “We have been in contact with our federal partners and we have requested military and disaster assistance.”
John Lohr, the minister responsible for Nova Scotia’s EMO, said he contacted Bill Blair, the federal Minister of Public Safety requesting Disaster Financial Assistance.
“The magnitude of this storm has just been breathtaking; it’s turned out to be everything that has been predicted, and it’s affected people across the province,” he noted.
According to the CHC, preliminary reports from Beaver Island, off the Eastern Shore, had wind guests at 165 kilometres an hour (km/h), the Sydney airport recorded gusts up to 149 km/h, and in Arisaig, ECCC said winds were recorded at 179 km/h.
When the winds picked up, the power went out for approximately 415,000 Nova Scotia Power (NSP) customers.
“We are seeing significant damage as Fiona moves across the province…” Peter Gregg, Nova Scotia Power President and CEO said in a press release issued on Sept. 24.
NSP said Hurricane Fiona continued to impact communities across Nova Scotia with extreme wind and heavy rain, and they were seeing “significant impacts” from the storm, including uprooted trees, broken poles, and downed power lines across the province.
“We’ve seen significant wind… we still do see some remaining significant wind, in parts of the province; peak winds that we really haven’t seen before,” Gregg said during the briefing. “Cape Breton is seeing extremely extensive damage.”
As a result, Gregg said some customers could be without power for “multiple days.”
Gregg said there were more than 900 powerline technicians, forestry technicians, and damage assessors in the field, with hundreds more, including engineers, dispatchers and customer service representatives, working behind the scenes to support crews and customers. Crews from New Brunswick, Maine, and Quebec arrived Friday, they noted.
“If we need more resources, we will not hesitate to reach out, in fact we’re having conversations with many of our neighbours right now, and continue to talk to our neighbouring utilities so we have more crews on the way, from as far away as Ontario and Maine,” Gregg told the briefing.
In a press release issued the morning of Sept. 25, NSP said they were using foot patrols, drones, and helicopters to survey the damage, and restoring power.
Today, NSP issued a press release to note that this has become the” largest mobilization of crews” in their history with more than 1,300 people in the field, supported by the Canadian Armed Forces and Department of Natural Resources, to in removing trees and brush, running supplies, and providing security for trucks and equipment.
“The damage caused by Hurricane Fiona is extreme and this storm response effort is historic,” said Peter Gregg, NSP President and CEO. “We are grateful to have the support of crews from eastern Canada and beyond helping to support our team as we work to restore power to our customers.”
NSP said there are still areas they haven’t been able to access to see the extent of the damage. Although NSP said it is making progress with restoration, “we know there will be customers who will be without power for several days.”
As of noon today, NSP said more than 280,000 customers had their service restored.
NSP said in the Northern Zone, which includes Antigonish and Guysborough counties, there were over 400 people on the ground.
About 90,000 customers have been affected in the region, NSP said and as of 6 a.m. Tuesday, 45 per cent of customers had their power restored.
In Cape Breton, NSP said there were over 400 people on the ground in Cape Breton
More than 65,000 customers were affected in the region, and as of 6 a.m. Tuesday, NSP said power was restored for 49 per cent of customers in Cape Breton.
Nova Scotia Health (NSH) said it was working to “provide as much service as possible,” in a press release issued Sept. 25, noting emergency departments around the province were busy.
“We encourage those Nova Scotians who can wait for care to do so rather than visiting an emergency department,” they said in the release. “We understand that power and network issues are affecting many in the province.”
Those on home oxygen or need power for medical devices, were asked to go to Comfort Centres in the event of a power outage, NSH said, noting those people should contact their local Emergency Management Office (EMO) or municipality to see where they will be set up in their communities.
In a press release issued Sept. 24, the Nova Scotia EMO said Emergency Health Services received its highest one-day call volume ever recorded on Saturday.The provincial EMO said the Provincial Coordination Centre moved to a Level 3 activation, the highest level, on Saturday at 7 a.m.
“People who are experiencing issues with their phone service may also have issues dialing 911,” the province noted. “Staff at the Provincial Coordination Centre and other provincial officials are in close contact with Nova Scotia’s telecommunications providers and the federal government to support the providers in restoring services to everyone.”
Along with power, Houston said during the Sept. 24 briefing that cellular phone and internet services were down for many Nova Scotians, including provincial officials.
“The sad reality is that the people who need the information that most of the team, most of the folks on this call today can share, are unable to hear it; their phones aren’t working, they don’t have power, or access to the internet,” he stated.
As the former minister responsible for the Nova Scotia EMO, Liberal leader Zach Churchill said he knows there were other options.
“You’ve got to have a communication plan, and you’ve got to have a plan if you know a hurricane is coming into communicate outside of cellular telephones and satellite phones are available in the Emergency Management Office, and those can be used to communicate in times like this,” Churchill told The Reporter.
The EMO confirmed that crews were delivering additional fuel to gas stations.
As Hurricane Fiona moved in late Friday afternoon, the Nova Scotia RCMP enabled its division-wide emergency preparedness measures and contingency plans.
The RCMP said officers responded to “hundreds” of calls across the province, of which the bulk included calls related to wellbeing checks, stranded motorists, downed power lines, downed trees, washed out roads, and debris on roadways.
The RCMP said officers and 911 police dispatchers assisted partner agencies, including the Nova Scotia EMO, which is leading the response to Hurricane Fiona.
With power still out in the town, the Antigonish Town and County Emergency Management Team (EMT) said it met Sunday morning and worked throughout the day helping coordinate clean-up efforts with public works departments from Antigonish town, county, the province, as well as the Town’s Electric Utility, they said in a press release.
In a statement issued Sept. 24 StFX confirmed the campus was “hit hard,” with downed trees and damage to facilities.
“In particular, damage to Marguerite Hall has resulted in the relocation of students to other residences across campus through the night,” Academic Vice President and Provost Amanda Cockshutt said. “I am pleased to report that all students are warm, dry, and safe.”
After Antigonish went dark on Sept. 23, around 11 p.m., it wasn’t until almost three full days later that Alex MacDonald Motors (Irving) became the first gas station in Antigonish to re-open with fuel to offer, and long lines instantly formed along the old Highway 104.
As power started to turn back on during the late hours of Sept. 26 in the Town of Antigonish, StFX announced the morning after that power was fully restored and they would resume classes on Sept. 28, after taking two-days as a precaution to ensure conditions were safe across campus.
“Nova Scotia Power and Town Electric Utility crews are working together on getting portions of town back online,” the town posted at 9 p.m. “Progress is a little slower than expected as crews are encountering some equipment issues, (but) some areas have been restored in the last half hour.”
With provincial government offices in Antigonish, Guysborough, Richmond, and Inverness counties closed Monday, and offices in Antigonish town and couty closed Tuesday, offices were reopened around the region Wednesday.
The NSCC Strait Area Campus had classes cancelled Monday and on Tuesday, there were no classes, but the building was open with limited services. The NSCC announced that on Wednesday, the Strait Area Campus will be open with classes taking place, services returned, and the building open to the public.
The province announced that classes were cancelled Monday and Tuesday in the Strait Regional Centre for Education, and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial schools (CSAP) in the northern group, including École acadienne de Pomquet and École Beau-Port in Arichat. The province announced that some students are returning to class at CSAP schools on Wednesday, including Arichat, but classes are cancelled again at schools in the Strait Regional Centre for Education.
The province announced Tuesday that provincial park campgrounds and day-use parks that were closed due to hurricane Fiona are “gradually reopening.”
“We know how important being in nature is to Nova Scotians and our staff are working hard to reopen the provincial parks,” said Natural Resources and Renewables Minister Tory Rushton.
Among provincial park campgrounds reopening Wednesday at 2 p.m. are Battery Park in St. Peter’s and Whycocomagh Provincial Park.