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Post-Tropical Storm Fiona batters Eastern Canada with wind, rains

The track and winds of Post-Tropical Storm Fiona as it moves over Canada. Photo by the Canadian Hurricane Center.
The track and winds of Post-Tropical Storm Fiona as it moves over Canada. Photo by the Canadian Hurricane Center.

Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Post-Tropical Storm Fiona battered Eastern Canada on Saturday, bringing hurricane-strength winds and torrential rains to Nova Scotia and the country's other maritime provinces.

Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Quebec's Magdalen Islands also took the brunt of the storm early Saturday.

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More than 400,000 people in Nova Scotia were without power due to the storm as of mid-morning Saturday with many others losing phone and Internet service as well, according to the Cape Breton Post.

The Newfoundland town of Port aux Basques is under a state of emergency after after storm surges reportedly swept away homes and people.

RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland told CBC News police have received an unconfirmed report that a woman was washed out to sea. She said first responders haven't been able to reach that location because of the storm surge.

Garland said police received another report that a woman was swept away after her home collapsed, but confirmed she was rescued and brought to a hospital.

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In Halifax, trees throughout the city were uprooted, lifting sections of sidewalks before settling on cars, homes and power lines.

Local media reported evacuation centers are open at the Canada Games Centre in Halifax, the Acadia Centre at the Sackville Public Library in Lower Sackville, the St. Margaret's Centre in Upper Tantallon, and the Musquodoboit Harbour Recreation Centre.

Fiona has already pummeled Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and other areas of the Caribbean. In Puerto Rico, more than 1.3 million residents lost power due to the storm. On Thursday, there were still about a million without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency in Puerto Rico on Wednesday and President Joe Biden has promised federal funding to the island.

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