More than 500,000 homes were without electricity on Saturday on the Atlantic coast, according to the cumulative figures provided by several operators. In the province of Nova Scotia alone, the operator Nova Scotia Power announced, for example, around 1:05 p.m. GMT that there were 414,163 customers without electricity.
“Where it will rank in the history books we will have to determine following the fact, but it will certainly be a historic and extreme event for eastern Canada,” said Bob Robichaud at a press conference on Friday. meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Center (CHC), calling Fiona a “major” hurricane.
” Never seen “
According to Canadian authorities, Fiona was still carrying sustained winds of 120 km / h at 17:00 GMT and was moving at a speed of 37 km / h towards the northeast. Trees uprooted, homes swept away, power lines damaged… “Fiona came and left her mark on Nova Scotia and neighboring provinces,” said the region’s premier, Tim Houston, at a press conference on Saturday. followingnoon.
“It’s not completely over,” he warned.
Two women were washed away in Channel-Port-aux-Basques, in the province of Newfoundland, according to a police spokeswoman. One of the two victims, carried away following the collapse of his house, was rescued and hospitalized, the other remains missing. “It’s one of the worst days I’ve had in my life,” René Roy, another resident of this city, told Radio Canada. “It doesn’t stop. […] Many houses have gone to the sea,” he said.
“I was woken up around 5:00 a.m. because my bed was shaking! “said Shaun Bond, who lives in Sydney, Nova Scotia. “I live on the second floor of a century-old house and she was moving and making noises like I’ve never heard. »
Nothing serious in Bermuda
Earlier Friday, Bermuda had been rocked by 160 km/h gusts and heavy rains. But following wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, Fiona passed some 100 miles off British territory in the mid-Atlantic Ocean with no casualties or major damage.
The territory, located a thousand kilometers from the United States and accustomed to hurricanes, is one of the most isolated places in the world, which makes any evacuation almost impossible in the event of an emergency.
Fiona caused the deaths of four people in Puerto Rico, a US territory, according to an official quoted by the media. One death was reported in Guadeloupe (France) and two in the Dominican Republic.
