Hurricane Kyle hits Canadian East Coast with a Bang

Emergency and power crews in parts of Atlantic Canada were at work Sunday evening trying to restore electricity as tropical storm Kyle swirled into the Maritimes, its high winds toppling power lines.

Kyle went ashore just north of Yarmouth, N.S. at around 9 p.m. AT as a marginal Category 1 hurricane, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre, based in Dartmouth, N.S., downing trees and causing power outages.

As it moved north toward New Brunswick and was downgraded to a tropical storm, winds with gusts up to 110 km/h over exposed areas could still cause damage, the Hurricane Centre warned.

Nova Scotia Power said as of 11 p.m. ET some 24,000 customers were without power while another 10,000 has seen their power restored.

"We're seeing trees bringing down lines, whole trees topple over, we're seeing high winds," said Glennie Langille of Nova Scotia Power.

Your Ad Here

"We are doing as much work as we can within the conditions that we have," she said, mentioning that work had to stop whenever winds topped 90 km/h. "We've been working throughout the storm when it is safe to do so."

Dennis Kelly of Nova Scotia's Emergency Management Office said damage from the storm was not as widespread as had been feared.

NB Power meanwhile was reporting some 700 customers without power across New Brunswick as the storm moved toward the province.

The storm was expected to bring significant rainfall to most of New Brunswick where rainfall advisories have been posted, warning of 50 to 100 millimetres of rain falling in a short period of time, threatening to cause some flooding.

As of 11 p.m. AT the Hurricane Centre said tropical storm warnings were in effect for several southern New Brunswick and Nova Scotia regions, including Moncton, Saint John, Lunenburg, Shelburne, Yarmouth and Digby counties and the Bay of Fundy area.

Nova Scotia Power had put its crews on alert "right across the province" and had enlisted extra contract crews to help out in the event of widespread outages, said spokeswoman Margaret Murphy.

Your Ad Here

"The forecast shows a large severe weather system headed our way," she said. "Certainly experience shows it's best to be prepared, so we prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

Murphy said the company had been putting particular emphasis on beefing up crews in the southwestern shores of Nova Scotia, where Kyle was forecast to hit land, with wind speeds roaring at up to 130 kilometres an hour.

New Brunswick power authorities were making similar preparations.

Kyle reached hurricane strength late Saturday as it swept through and soaked New England.

As the storm reached the Maritimes, it was expected be either a "strong tropical storm or a marginal Category 1 hurricane," according to Canadian weather bulletins.

Aside from the high winds, "dangerously high" water levels and waves are expected, particularly in the coastal regions under warning.

New Brunswick residents were warned to expect heavy rain of up to 100 millimetres and localized flash flooding. Water levels in various Nova Scotia counties, such as Yarmouth, were expected to exceed a metre above normal levels.

Combined with "dangerous rough tides," this is all expected to lead to shoreline erosion and damage to coastal roads, docks and buildings.

The Canadian Red Cross issued a warning earlier for people to be prepared in the event of a major storm. Bill Lawlor, director of disaster management for the Red Cross in Atlantic Canada, said in a statement the Red Cross is placing its 650 disaster volunteers and 15 emergency response teams throughout the Maritimes on standby.

Your Ad Here

In anticipation of flooding and power outages, the Emergency Measures Organization in New Brunswick told the public to stock up on enough food, water and batteries to last three days. But Andy Morton, deputy director of the organization, says it's hard to tell how seriously the warnings were being taken.

"Well it's Sunday," he said. "I hope they are listening, and we hope they are heeding (the warnings) and time will tell."

"If you don't prepare and you get flooded, or your power is out, you will be disadvantaged," he added.


The spokesman said the impact of the storm could be similar to the devastation wrought by the ice storm of 1998. _Kyle is the 11th named storm this season in the Atlantic.

The hurricane already drenched Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Caribbean island of Hispaniola Saturday. Authorities in Puerto Rico said at least four people were killed and scores of homes were flooded.

Kyle is expected to hit Canada five years to the day after Hurricane Juan cut a swath of damage along Nova Scotia's East Coast. Between Sept. 28-29, Juan caused $100 million in damage as it unleashed winds of up to 176 km/h through Halifax Harbour, across Nova Scotia, and throughout Prince Edward Island.

The hurricane killed two people and nearly flattened Halifax's historic Point Pleasant Park, felling 70 per cent of the park's trees.

Remnants of HURRICANE IKE Hit OHIO and Move Across Great Lakes

Hurricane-like winds left about 1 million households and businesses without electricity Monday as schools closed and rush-hour commuters faced obstacle courses of fallen trees and intersections without working traffic signals.

Sunday's wind storm caused by remnants of Hurricane Ike killed at least three people who were hit by toppled trees, authorities said. It could take a week for power to be restored in some areas.

Your Ad Here

Winds gusting up to 78 mph ripped roofs from buildings and blocked roadways across the state, with southwest and central Ohio bearing the brunt of the storm's force, according to the National Weather Service.

"What we experienced was a hurricane-force wind gust," said meteorologist Myron Padgett at the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

A falling tree killed two motorcyclists in Hueston Woods State Park in southwest Ohio, and a woman died in the Cincinnati suburb of Mt. Healthy when a tree fell through the roof of her home.

As of 8 a.m. Monday, 575,000 Duke Energy customers in southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky still had no power, out of 867,000 who had lost service since the storm began to hit the region late Sunday morning. It was the biggest outage in the company's history, said Duke Energy spokeswoman Kathy Meinke.

American Electric Power said on its Web site Monday that about 539,000 of its Ohio customers, or 37 percent, were out, including 273,000 in Franklin County, which includes Columbus.

"This is an unprecedented event for this time of year," AEP spokesman Jeff Rennie said. "We've never seen anything like this in early fall."

Your Ad Here

Both Duke and AEP said it could take more than a week to restore power to some hard-hit areas. AEP is recalling crews that had been dispatched to southern states hit by the hurricane.

About 310,000 Ohio Edison customers were in the dark in northeast Ohio, said spokeswoman Robin Patton.

South Central Power Co. reported Monday morning that more than 28,000 customers were out in central, southern and eastern Ohio.

The damage was widespread. High winds tore off part of the roof at Blacklick Elementary School in Gahanna, a Columbus suburb, Gahanna Superintendent Gregg Morris said.

Airport officials evacuated the control tower and canceled about 40 flights at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport before resuming air traffic Sunday evening, said airport spokesman Ted Bushelman. He said winds gusted up to 74 mph, ripping off part of the roof from a Delta Airlines hangar and damaging another airport building.

The Findlay Market in Cincinnati — the state's oldest public marketplace — and several adjacent buildings caught on fire. Maintenance crews on Monday cleared garbage, branches, parking signs and other windblown debris from the city's downtown sidewalks. People on their way to work helped out, moving cardboard, construction materials and even a chunk of siding out of the way.

The winds sparked at least eight fires in southwest Ohio's Warren County, including one at a power substation in Hamilton Township that was later extinguished, said Frank Young, the county's director of emergency services. About half of the county's residents were without power.

In Cincinnati, Findlay Market — the state's oldest public marketplace — and several adjacent buildings caught on fire.

Your Ad Here

Downed trees and branches covered the roads in Columbus' downtown German Village neighborhood on Sunday night. Residents who had lost electricity gathered in the streets to assess the damage. Others congregated at local restaurants and bars like High Beck Tavern, where the bartender, Wayne Lewis, said business was three times busier than a typical Sunday.

Jeff Reznor, 63, made his way over to High Beck after his four-unit apartment building lost power and shingles were blown off the roof.

"We've had some pretty good soaking rain from storms, but not wind damage," said Reznor, who has lived in Columbus since 1965.

STORM IKE EFFECTS CINCINNATI

The remnants of Hurricane Ike brought wind, not rain to the Tri-State Sunday, causing widespread damage and power outages.

At one point about 90 percent of Duke Energy Corp.’s 800,000 local customers were without power, according to WCPO-TV. Duke said it might take a week to get everyone’s lights back on. Power is on in downtown Cincinnati, however.

Winds of 55 miles per hour – reportedly gusting over 70 mph – toppled trees, tore siding from houses and spread debris widely over a three-to-four-hour period Sunday afternoon. Most schools closed on Monday.

Three people – two in Oxford and one in Mount Healthy – were killed by falling trees. Damage ranged from blown-off roofs and toppled chimneys, to fallen trees and snapped power lines.

IKE MOVES ON TO DAYTON OHIO

Hundreds of thousands are without power after high winds blow across the Miami Valley. More than 100000 Dayton Power and Light. As of 2 pm Sunday afternoon, nearly 20000 people in the Dayton Metro Area were without power according to Dayton Power & Light.