Storm Fiona batters Canada’s coast as houses fall into the sea
Canada is sending troops to help clean up after Storm Fiona destroyed homes and power lines in eastern provinces.
Anita Anand, the defense minister, said they would help clear fallen trees and other debris, restore transport links and do whatever is necessary for as long as it takes.
He did not say how many troops would be sent to support communities after the extreme weather event.
After exiting the northern Caribbean as a hurricane, Storm Fiona hit Canada early Saturday local time as a post-tropical cyclone.
It hit Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec with hurricane-force winds, heavy rain and huge waves.
Houses were swept out to sea and roofs ripped off houses during the tropical storm. At least one person is missing.
On Sunday, Puerto Rico said at least 16 deaths had been linked to the hurricane.
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Troops sent to help with cleanup
Canadian troops are being sent to help recover from the devastation of Storm Fiona, which swept away homes, ripped off roofs and cut power in the country’s Atlantic provinces.
Anita Anand, the defense minister, said they would help clear fallen trees and other debris, restore transport links and do whatever is necessary for as long as it takes.
Zoe Tidman September 25, 2022 10:41 am
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ICYMI: JetBlue flights fly over Hurricane Fiona
A JetBlue flight took off Monday from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, for Newark, New Jersey Airport.
Normally, there would be nothing unusual about this, except that the plane ended up flying directly into the swirling and powerful winds of Hurricane Fiona.
The flight path took the plane near the top of the hurricane’s clouds as it returned to the United States, threatening severe turbulence, according to The Washington Post.
The Independent’s Ethan Freedman has the full story:
Rachel Sharp September 25, 2022 10:30 am
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Justin Trudeau holds an incident response meeting
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held an incident response meeting with government officials about Post-Tropical Cyclone Fiona on Saturday morning.
Trudeau tweeted about the meeting Saturday afternoon and promised to send resources to the affected areas.
“I am thinking of everyone affected by Hurricane Fiona – I want you to know that we are here for you,” he said.
“I convened an incident response team meeting with Minister @BillBlair and officials this morning. Our government stands ready to support the provinces with additional resources.”
Rachel Sharp September 25, 2022 9:30 am
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State of local emergency declared in the regional municipality of Cape Bretó
A local state of emergency was declared in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
“There are homes that have been severely damaged from downed trees, big old trees that come down and have caused significant damage,” Mayor Amanda McDougall told The Associated Press. “We’re also seeing houses with roofs completely ripped off, windows broken. There’s a lot of debris on the roads.”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said roads were washed out, including his own, and said an “unbelievable” amount of trees had been blown down. “It’s pretty devastating,” Houston said.
Peony Hirwani25 September 2022 09:00
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Why hurricanes in Canada are rare
It is quite rare for hurricanes to affect Canada.
This is because storms tend to lose energy when they reach colder waters.
Fiona was downgraded from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone on Friday afternoon, before it made landfall in Canada.
However, post-tropical cyclones can still have hurricane-force winds that can flatten communities in their path.
Rachel Sharp September 25, 2022 8:30 am
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cancels trip to Japan amid Storm Fiona
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau canceled his trip to Japan for the funeral of slain former prime minister Shinzo Abe as the extent of the damage from Storm Fiona became apparent.
Peony Hirwani25 September 2022 08:00
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Canada’s prime minister says the country needs “more resilient infrastructure” to withstand extreme weather events
The Canadian Hurricane Center tweeted that Fiona had the lowest pressure ever recorded for a storm making landfall in Canada.
Meteorologists had warned that it could be one of the most powerful storms to hit the country.
“We’re getting more severe storms with more frequency,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
He said more resilient infrastructure is needed to withstand extreme weather events, and said what used to be a one-in-100-year storm could now come every few years because of climate change.
“Things are only getting worse,” Trudeau said.
Peony Hirwani September 25, 2022 7:30 am
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The Canadian military to help clean up Fiona’s devastation
Canadian troops are being sent to help recover from the devastation of Storm Fiona, which swept away homes, ripped off roofs and cut power in the country’s Atlantic provinces.
Defense Minister Anita Anand said on Saturday (September 24) that troops would help clear fallen trees and other debris, restore transport links and do whatever was needed for as long as needed.
He did not specify how many troops would be deployed.
Peony Hirwani25 September 2022 07:00
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The animation captures the moment Fiona touched down in Canada
An animation has captured the moment Post-Tropical Cyclone Fiona made landfall in Canada.
ECCC Weather Nova Scotia posted the chart on Twitter.
“A 12 hour doppler radar animation of #Fiona as she made landfall overnight. Preliminary reports from Sydney airport of 140km/h gust, with other reports of over 150km/h,” he tweeted .
Rachel Sharp September 25, 2022 6:30 am
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According to local reports, Hurricane Fiona also killed at least two people in the Dominican Republic and one person in Guadeloupe.
Peony Hirwani25 September 2022 06:00