Assessment and cleanup continues in Atlantic Canada

Storm damage in Port aux Basques. Photo Samantha Osmond

The assessment and cleanup continues after Hurricane Fiona ripped across Atlantic Canada on Friday and Saturday leaving a path of destruction.

There were thousands without power in the Maritime provinces. Fiona tore across the region snapping off power lines and poles. Trees were uprooted and there was widespread flooding.

A state or emergency was declared on Cape Breton Island.

Officials were asking people to remain in their homes if it was safe to do so.

In Newfoundland, the communities of Port aux Basques and Burnt Islands issued states of emergency as Fiona sent waves and storm surge through communities on the southwest coast.

One person was sent to hospital after being swept into the ocean. Another woman was reported missing.

In Port aux Basques first responders were dealing with multiple electrical fires, residential flooding and washouts.

From there the storm tore up through the west coast knocking out power to thousands.

Fiona is unofficially the lowest pressured land falling storm in Canada according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre with a barometric pressure of 931.6 MB at Hart Island.

Federal Response

The federal government provides update.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that at the request of Nova Scotia the military has been deployed. The federal incident response group also met and has promised "any necessary resources" to assist.

The federal government will also match any donations from individuals and corporations made to the Canadian Red Cross for the next 30 days.

Minister of National Defence Anita Anand says that all three branches of the Canadian Armed Forces have prepared to assist. This includes navy, air force, and army resources and personnel from the Immediate Response Unit in Gagetown.

Power outages

At the peak, there were over half a million power outages. That number has fallen but there are still several outages. Some of which could last for days.

Outages as of 7:00 am AT

• Newfoundland 3,551 customers

• Nova Scotia 268,420 customers

• Prince Edward Island 82,415 customers

• New Brunswick 19,918 customers

Travel:

All Marine Atlantic crossings scheduled for this morning are cancelled and crossings for later today could also be impacted. The Marine Atlantic call centre is also closed as a result of the storm.

The Confederation Bridge has reopened to all traffic.

Due to washouts, debris, and trees and power lines on roads, there are road closures along the south coast of Newfoundland. Most roads in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are closed. Some roads in southern and eastern New Brunswick are also closed.

Several flights in Halifax and Charlottetown are cancelled. Check ahead with your airline for the latest flight status.