by Neelam Rahim – neelam@radioislam.co.za

2 min read – 12:14 pm

Powerful storm Fiona ripped into eastern Canada on Saturday with hurricane-force winds, forcing evacuations, demolishing trees and powerlines, and reducing many homes on the coast to “just a pile of rubble in the ocean.”

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the middle of the storm, downgraded to Post-Tropical Cyclone Fiona, was now within the Gulf of St. Lawrence and losing some steam. The NHC cancelled hurricane and tropical storm warnings for the region.

Port aux Basques, on the southwest tip of Newfoundland with a population of 4,067, bore the brunt of the storm’s rage.

The mayor was forced to declare a state of emergency and evacuate parts of the town that suffered flooding and road washouts.

Several homes and an apartment house were dragged out to sea, Rene Roy, editor-in-chief of Wreckhouse Weekly in Port aux Basques, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

“This is hands down the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Roy said, describing many homes as “just a pile of rubble in the ocean right now.”

Mayor Brian Button said in a Facebook video Saturday. Huge waves reaching the eastern shores of Nova Scotia and southwestern Newfoundland caused “severe coastal flooding” in the town, the Canadian Hurricane Centre said Saturday night.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government assessed the storm’s damage on Saturday afternoon. Still, officials had already begun helping affected communities, including approving Nova Scotia’s request for federal assistance. Trudeau said the Canadian defence force would also be deployed to the region to help assess damage and cleanup.

Source: REUTERS