Canada: Storm causes flooding, power outages in east November 29-30

Event

A winter storm caused property damage and widespread power outages in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador on Thursday, November 29. Strong storm surge and high winds of 100 km/h (62 mph) flooded streets and damaged buildings along Cape Breton (Nova Scotia) and as many as 250,000 residences, or roughly half of province's population, lost power on Thursday. In New Brunswick, heavy snow of up to 25 cm (10 in) forced some residents to shelters. While the severe weather has subsided as of Friday, November 30, thousands remain without power as of the morning hours (local time) across the Maritime provinces.

Advice

Individuals in the Maritime provinces as well as in Newfoundland and Labrador are advised to monitor local weather reports, adhere to instructions (e.g. road closures) issued by local authorities, and anticipate further flooding and transportation disruptions. Remember that walking or driving through running water can be dangerous - 15 cm (6 in) of running water is enough to knock over an adult - and that floodwater may contain wastewater and chemical products; all items having come into contact with floodwater should be disinfected and all foodstuffs discarded.