CNN
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Deadly Hurricane Fiona it has weakened slightly to a category 3 storm, but still has strong 125 mph winds as it moves toward the Atlantic coast of Canada.
It is expected to bring hurricane conditions to the region on Friday night, the National Hurricane Center said.
It’s on track to become an “extreme weather event” in eastern Canada, threatening high winds, dangerous storm surge and roughly two months of rain, forecasters at the Canadian Hurricane Center warned Friday afternoon. And some parties, like Canadian Maritimes, will likely start to feel the effects Friday night, the center said.
“This could be a historic event for Canada in terms of tropical cyclone intensity,” and could even become Canada’s version of Superstorm Sandy, said Chris Fogarty, manager of the Canadian Hurricane Center. Hurricane Sandy affected 24 states and the entire East Coast, causing an estimated $78.7 billion in damage.
Officials in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada urged those in the storm’s path to be on high alert and prepare for the impact of the hurricane, which has already killed at least five people and has cut power to millions this week. Battered multiple Caribbean islands.
Fiona strengthened to a Category 4 storm early Wednesday over the Atlantic after passing the Turks and Caicos Islands, and remained so through Friday afternoon.
The National Hurricane Center said in its 8 p.m. ET advisory that the storm weakened slightly but was still packing hurricane-force winds extending more than 100 miles from its center and tropical-storm-force winds extending more than 300 miles.
Its center was about 215 miles southeast of Halifax on Friday night.
“Although gradual weakening is forecast over the next several days, Fiona is expected to be a powerful hurricane-force cyclone as it moves across Atlantic Canada,” the center said. said.
In Canada, hurricane warnings have been issued for Nova Scotia from Hubbards to Brule and in Newfoundland from Parson’s Pond to Francois. Prince Edward Island and Madeleine Island are also under warning.
“It has the potential to be very dangerous,” said John Lohr, the minister responsible for the Office of Emergency Management. For Nova Scotia. “Impacts are expected to be felt throughout the province. All Nova Scotians should be preparing today,” added Lohr. during an official update Thursday.
Residents should prepare for damaging winds, high waves, coastal storm surge and heavy rain, which can lead to extended power outages, Lohr said. Emergency officials have encouraged people to secure outdoor items, trim trees, charge cell phones and create a 72-hour emergency kit.
The area hasn’t seen a storm this intense for about 50 years, according to Chris Fogarty, manager of the Canadian Hurricane Center.
“Take it seriously because we are seeing weather numbers on our weather maps that are rarely seen here,” Fogarty said.
Utility company Nova Scotia Power activated an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Friday morning, which will serve as a central coordination area for restoration and outage response, according to a statement from press.
The company will also work closely with the Nova Scotia Office of Emergency Management.
“We are taking every precaution and will be ready to respond to Hurricane Fiona in the safest and most efficient manner possible,” Sean Borden, lead storm coordinator for Nova Scotia Power, said in the statement.
Andy Francis, a fisherman in southwestern Newfoundland, was bracing for the storm this week, pulling one boat out of the water and tying another to a nearby dock.
“This time it seems like everyone has the same consensus that this is going to be bad,” he said. CBC News. Everyone else in the area, he told the station, was also preparing to help “minimize the damage.”
“This one is going to be different,” Francis told CBC.
In Atlantic Canada, winds could hover around 100 mph (160 kph) as Fiona is expected to weaken slightly before making landfall in Nova Scotia, CNN meteorologists Rob Shackelford and Taylor Ward said.
Prince Edward Island officials implored residents to prepare for the worst as the storm looms.
Tanya Mullally, who serves as the province’s chief emergency manager, said one of the most pressing concerns with Fiona is the historic storm surge she is expected to unleash.
“Storm surge will certainly be significant. … Flooding that we have not seen and cannot measure,” Mullally said Thursday. during an update.
Modeling from the Canadian Hurricane Center suggests the surge “depending on the area, it could be 6-8 feet,” said Bob Robichaud, a center meteorologist.
The northern part of the island will bear the brunt of the storm due to the direction of the winds, which will likely cause property damage and coastal flooding, Mullally said.
All provincial campgrounds, beaches and day-use parks, as well as the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park, were closed Friday, the Nova Scotia Office of Emergency Management said.
Earlier this week, Fiona damaged homes and disrupted critical power and water infrastructure for millions of people in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Days after Puerto Rico experienced an island-wide blackout when Fiona made landfall on Sunday, only 41% of customers had their power back on Friday, according to figures from the power grid operator. LUMA energy published in the island emergency portal system.
The massive power outage is occurring as much of Puerto Rico endures extreme heat, causing temperatures to hit 112 degrees Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures stayed in the 80s and 90s on Friday, according to CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward.
Daniel Hernández, director of renewable projects at LUMA, explained that critical locations, including hospitals, will be prioritized before repairs can begin at the individual level.
“This is a normal process. The important thing is that everyone is calm… we are working so that 100% of the clients have service as soon as possible,” Hernández said.
And more than a quarter of customers on the island had no water service or had intermittent service, according to the emergency portal system.
In the Dominican Republic, Fiona affected more than 8,00 homes and destroyed 2,262 homes, according to the nation’s chief of emergency operations, May. General Juan Mendez Garcia.
It said more than 210,000 homes and businesses were still in the dark Thursday morning, and another 725,246 customers had no running water.
“This was something incredible that we had never seen before,” Ramona Santana in Higüey, Dominican Republic, told CNN en Español this week. “We are in the streets with nothing, no food, no shoes, no clothes, just what you are wearing. … We have nothing. We have God, and the help of hope will come.”
Fiona also threatened parts of the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday, and parts of the British mainland were still without power earlier this week, specifically Grand Turk, South Caicos, Salt Cay, North Caicos and Middle Caicos, said Anya Williams, interim governor of the islands
