HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — Arthur hit Canada’s Maritime
provinces with near-hurricane strength winds and torrential rains,
knocking down trees and leaving about tens of thousands of people
without power.
Canadian Hurricane Centre spokesman Chris Fogarty
said that winds were easing, but more rainfall is predicted for already
drenched southwestern New Brunswick.
In Fredericton, New
Brunswick, Mike Gange said the buffeting winds tore down a maple tree in
his front yard, damaging roof tiles and a rain gutter as it fell. He
said that as he drove around the New Brunswick provincial capital he saw
about 25 homes with big trees knocked down.
Gange said he has not seen weather this severe in his 41 years in Fredericton.
"It’s
like a Tasmanian devil ripping through your backyard," he said. "It’s
crazy here … at times it rains so hard you can’t see 10 feet in front
of you."
Arthur was downgraded from a hurricane to a post-tropical
storm Saturday morning by the time it reached Atlantic Canada. A day
earlier it swiped at North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where some
vacationers were already back on beaches Saturday despite warnings that
the water remained dangerous.
Environment Canada measured wind
gusts topping 72 mph (116 kph) in the Halifax area, while more than 5
inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain had fallen in some areas of New
Brunswick.
By late Saturday afternoon, Arthur was 19 miles (30
kilometers) southwest of Moncton, New Brunswick, with maximum sustained
winds of 56 mph (90 kph), the Canadian Hurricane Centre said.
Nova
Scotia Power said about 135,000 of its customers were without power at
mid-afternoon Saturday. New Brunswick’s main electrical utility reported
more than 115,000 outages by mid-afternoon. It warned some residents
they could be without power for up to 48 hours because of widespread
damage caused by the storm.
NB Power said the largest number of
outages was in Fredericton where winds of more than 62 mph (100 kph) had
knocked down a number of large trees, leaving streets littered with
debris.
Police in Saint John, New Brunswick, said some local roads
were closed because they were covered by flood water.
The storm also
caused flight cancellations and delays at the region’s largest airport
in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in
Prince Edward Island said a number of electrical poles had been knocked
down by the storm and roads were blocked by downed trees.
The
Canadian Hurricane Center said the storm would end in the Maritimes
overnight and then track northeast through the Gulf of St. Lawrence
toward Newfoundland on Sunday.
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