Post-tropical storm Dorian knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people across the Maritimes Saturday.
More than 375,000 Nova Scotia Power customers were without power as of 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
The utility says crews continue to stand down until conditions improve for the safety of employees.
“Presently we have upwards of 1,000 personnel — including powerline technicians, forestry crews, planners, damage assessors, engineers, supervisors, communication staff, and customer care representatives — staged in communities across the province,” said the utility.
“Already, more than 600 power line technicians are ready to respond, as soon as it is safe to do so. Internal crews are being supported by contracted crews from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec.”
#HurricaneDorian damage on Pleasant Street in Dartmouth. Another reminder that if you see a downed wire or pole, it's important to stay back and do not try to move it yourself. Report it to us at 1-877-428-6004 and stay safe. #NSstorm. pic.twitter.com/3AFvHaZsNp
— Nova Scotia Power (@nspowerinc) September 7, 2019
The winds from Dorian were strong enough to knock over a crane onto a building under construction in Halifax.
In New Brunswick, more than 65,000 NB Power customers were without electricity as of 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
The hardest-hit area is Moncton/Riverview/Dieppe, where more than 30,000 customers are in the dark.
On Prince Edward Island, there were more than 50,000 customers without power as of 10:10 p.m. Saturday.
Hurricane Update
The Canadian Hurricane Centre said the centre of Dorian made landfall southwest of Halifax, N.S., at around 7:15 p.m. Saturday.
The centre of the storm will continue tracking northeastward, passing near Prince Edward Island around midnight, and then over the eastern Gulf of St. Lawrence waters or western Newfoundland by Sunday morning.
Wind gusts up to 140 km/h were reported near Halifax early Saturday afternoon, while the Yarmouth airport reported a wind gust of 130 km/h.
https://twitter.com/ECCC_CHC/status/1170479388724539392?s=20
In New Brunswick, the Saint John Airport reported a wind gust of 95 km/h at 8 p.m. Saturday while the Moncton airport saw a wind gust of 94 km/h at 9 p.m. Saturday.
Forecasters say several reporting stations in western Nova Scotia and southeastern New Brunswick have already received in excess of 100 mm of rain as of early Saturday evening.
Widespread rainfall amounts of 50 to 100 mm are expected over Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and much of southern and southeastern New Brunswick. The maximum amounts are likely over western Nova Scotia, where 100 to 200 mm is possible.
