The road network of the Magdalen Islands has been completely closed to traffic since 8am due to the strong winds and heavy rains accompanying post-tropical cyclone Fiona.
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Incumbent Acting Mayor Richard Leblanc made the announcement at a press conference broadcast live on local radio. “There are many obstacles on the road, debris, flooding, he listed. So we’re asking you to stay home until we can get the job done and the storm passes.
According to Environment Canada, northeast winds peaked at 120 km/h last night and are now blowing steadily at almost 90 km/h.
“The winds will remain strong until tonight,” warned meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bégin. We will still have gusts of between 100 km/h and 140 km/h and maybe even more in the most exposed places”.
As for the material damage and breakages, note that part of the tin roof of the Saint-Pierre-de-La Vernière church, classified as a historic monument, was torn in the wind.
The high tide, which peaked at 8:30 a.m., is also a major concern. Evacuations are already underway in the flooded areas of Pointe de Havre-aux-Maisons and the La Grave historic site in Havre Aubert. “The community is very well prepared, the emergency plan is in place and effective,” assured Félix Caron, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security. The civil protection centers have the necessary equipment to take care of the evacuees.”
On the Hydro-Quebec side, 34 outages and 2,866 customers without power were reported. “The situation is changing by the minute,” said spokeswoman for the state-owned company, Ariane Doucet-Michaud. Wires lie on the ground, poles are broken or poles fall over. We have 10 teams on site to see what the priorities are for upcoming repairs. We are preparing in advance and conducting contingency measures to secure the grid, but there will be no repairs until the winds have died down.”
According to meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bégin, it will have to wait until next night before the wind weakens to 70 km/h. “At this point we can say the storm is behind us,” he added.