Representatives from the provincial Office of Emergency Management, Nova Scotia Power, the Regional Municipality of Cape Breton and the Canadian Red Cross held a news conference about preparations on Wednesday. Jason Mew, director of EMO’s incident management department, said people should not wait until the last minute to get essentials. “Driving through roads that are under water or running into debris from a fallen tree, it’s always best to stay home during the storm if you can,” Mew said. “And really this is a time when we’re trying to reach out to people to make sure they’re prepared now so they’re not going to a grocery store in the middle of the storm to look for bottled water or a phone. Charger.” Bob Robichaud, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the latest information suggests Nova Scotia will be hardest hit by Fiona overnight Friday into Saturday. “Just in terms of satellite imagery, we’re much better at being able to track these things than we were just five years ago,” Robichaud said. “So the science is at a point now where we have a pretty good idea of where these storms are going to go, how intense they’re going to be, but always when we start to get down to the local level, that’s where things can change a little bit.” .
Strong wind, heavy rain
The storm is expected to bring strong winds, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms and may lead to power outages, flooding and severe damage. Nova Scotia Power will send additional resources to Cape Breton to deal with expected power outages because eastern Nova Scotia is expected to bear the brunt of the storm. Christina Lamey, spokeswoman for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, said the local emergency management office has been preparing for days. Lamey said residents should prepare for longer power outages. “We’re very much on the message now to tell people to be ready in every sense of the word, prepare around your house, prepare the materials you’re going to need — water, batteries,” he said. The Nova Scotia Office of Emergency Management is asking people to prepare for Fiona:
Having enough food and water to last 72 hours. Securing any items that may blow around in the wind. Moving a boat on high ground. Filling vehicles with petrol and parking them away from trees. Keeping pets indoors. Radio and flashlight battery check. Check in with the neighbors.
Ancel Langille, senior director at the Canadian Red Cross, said people don’t need to spend a lot of money on emergency kits. “When it comes to a personal preparedness kit, you might be surprised how many of these items you might already have. I’m thinking cans, a can opener, bottled water for prep, extra medications on hand, pet supplies,” Langille said. “You don’t need to go out and be extravagant in building a personal preparedness kit. It will be what will make you comfortable if you are without power for a few days.”
Homeless support
Some help will be available for people who do not have access to safe housing. Bruce MacDonald, head of emergency management for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, said the Sydney homeless shelter will be available and has the ability to expand to an extreme weather center in the facility’s basement if needed. “We will look at anything else we can to provide additional support as needed,” MacDonald said during the news conference. This satellite image from late Wednesday morning shows Hurricane Fiona, bottom, centered in the Turks and Caicos. (National Hurricane Center) Langille said when the agency opens a shelter on behalf of a province or municipality, it’s open to anyone. “We don’t close the doors to anyone who needs support,” he said. “So if there’s a shelter open in a municipality where someone comes in because they had to evacuate their home, our services will be available to anyone who shows up.” Maggie-Jane Spray, spokeswoman for the Halifax Regional Municipality, said staff are reviewing options for those living in designated shelter sites and other locations, and that more information will be released soon.
Telecommunications preparation
After Hurricane Dorian, many people remained without cell phone and internet service for days after the storm knocked out power to cellphone towers and backup batteries for wireless sites eventually ran out. The situation prompted then-premier Stephen McNeil to tell the telecommunications companies he should join the province’s emergency operations team during major storms to ensure that service interruptions are minimized. Mew said the province has been in contact with Bell, Eastlink and Rogers to determine who will work with the province at the coordination center during the storm. “We think they’ll be fully engaged,” Mew said. The provincial Office of Emergency Management says it is working with Bell, Rogers and Eastlink to coordinate preparations for the storm. (CBC) In a statement to CBC News, Bell said the company is already in contact with the province, EMO and Nova Scotia Power and will work closely with them to keep customers connected. During power outages, if the backup batteries run out, Bell turns on generators to keep the sites running. The company says it has already activated its internal emergency response process and crews are powering generators and checking on sites.
