Canada sends troops for clean-up after storm Fiona leaves trail of destruction
- Defence Minister Anita Anand said Canadian troops would help remove fallen trees throughout Eastern Canada, and restore transportation links
- The disaster has prompted PM Justin Trudeau to cancel his trip to Japan for the funeral for assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
The Canadian mobilised military and officials on Sunday tried to assess the scope of devastation of from former Hurricane Fiona, which swept away houses, stripped off roofs and knocked out power across the country’s Atlantic provinces.
After surging north from the Caribbean, Fiona came ashore before dawn on Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone, battering Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec with hurricane-strength winds, heavy rains and huge waves.
Defence Minister Anita Anand said Canadian troops would help remove fallen trees throughout Eastern Canada, restore transportation links and do whatever else is required for as long as it takes. She didn’t specify how many troops would be deployed.
Fiona was blamed for at least five deaths in the Caribbean, but there was no confirmation of any fatalities or serious injuries in Canada. Police said a woman who might have been swept away was listed as missing in the hardest hit town of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland.
Entire structures were washed into the sea as raging surf pounded Port Aux Basques.
“Thankfully the weather is a lot better on the outside this morning which will give us opportunities to have a look and assess the damage,” Mayor Brian Button said on social media.
“This is not a one-day situation where we can all go back to normal. Unfortunately, this is going to take days, it could take weeks, it could take months in some cases.”
