Canadian troops arrived in Nova Scotia to help clean up in the wake of Fiona, a hurricane-strength post-tropical storm that swept through the region over the weekend.
Catch up: The storm left more than half a million people in Atlantic Canada without power on Saturday, and 344,000 outages were still being reported as of Sunday (including almost the entirety of Prince Edward Island), according to PowerOutage.com.
- Fiona made landfall in Nova Scotia early on Saturday and moved across the region, impacting Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and Quebec’s Magdalen Islands.
- The southwestern Newfoundland community of Port aux Basques was hit particularly hard, with hundreds of people displaced and one woman killed after her home was destroyed.
What they’re saying: “What's actually happening here is total devastation,” said Port aux Basques Mayor Brian Button.
- Defence Minister Anita Anand said the federal government was “mobilizing Canadian Force personnel and equipment to assist Nova Scotia, and [remained] ready to help other affected provinces if necessary.”
Fiona set a record for the lowest pressured land falling storm in Canadian history, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
- It’s a warning of the potential for global warming—which allows storms to remain stronger further north—to increase the threat level Canadians face from extreme weather.
Help out by contributing to the Red Cross’ relief fund to assist those impacted.