Fiona in the Magdalen Islands | Twenty victims evacuated

(Îles-de-la-Madeleine) Twenty-two victims have been evacuated in the coastal areas of La Grave in Havre-Aubert and Pointe in Havre-aux-Maisons since Friday evening, due to the post-tropical storm Fiona which is currently wreaking havoc in the Magdalen Islands.

Caroline Touzin
The Press

Of this number, six have found refuge with a family member. “For the moment, we have not reported any injuries,” said deputy mayor Richard Leblanc, looking relieved, during a press conference with the authorities on Saturday.

Four emergency accommodation centers spread over the archipelago are open. Their reception capacity is sufficient, assures the deputy mayor.

Like many Madelinots, Mayor Leblanc had a very short night.

“The winds woke me up at 1 a.m. and I couldn’t get back to sleep,” he told The Press on the sidelines of the first press briefing earlier today.

Mayor Leblanc warned his citizens that “the state of emergency” was maintained all day because “the storm is not over”. The road network is closed to traffic since trees and debris litter the roads in places.

Northeast winds peaked at 120 km/h last night. They have been blowing continuously at nearly 90 km/h since this morning, according to Environment Canada. Gusts between 100 km/h and 140 km/h, and perhaps even more, in the places most exposed to the winds are expected during the evening of Saturday.

“You are asked to stay at home,” he insisted. The tide is a “source of concern” for the municipality. Coastal areas were flooded.

According to Hydro-Quebec, some 1,400 homes were still without power on Saturday afternoon (4:30 p.m. local time). Ten teams are on the ground to secure the network. A lull at the end of the morning allowed the linemen to begin repairing the network, said its spokeswoman Ariane Doucet-Michaud, however the return of strong winds at the end of the day forced them to interrupt their work to security reasons.

Earlier in the day, at the Cap-aux-Meules wharf, fishermen were watching their boat from their truck. “I’ve never seen waves like this. There will be great damage, ”said Stéphane Bourque, looking worried.

The water level is very high in two fishing harbours, found The Press in the field.

“The municipality is very well prepared,” assures the interim regional director of the Ministry of Public Security for Gaspésie and the Îles-de-la-Madeleine Félix Caron.

The roof of the Lavernière church — a heritage building — was damaged by the force of the winds during the night. The deputy mayor indicated that it was too early to assess the cost of the damage.

“In the islands, we avoided the worst last night,” wrote outgoing PQ MP Joël Arseneau on Twitter.

Most businesses are closed due to the storm.

Due to the many private power sectors, the municipality asks citizens to limit their water consumption since the well pumps run on electricity. “We brought generators to the various wells, but our capacity is a little less,” said the deputy mayor.

One of the two submarine cables that provide the telecommunications link between the Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Gaspésie was damaged by the storm, but the second cable took over, saving the Madelinots from being cut off of the world as in 2018.