Post-tropical storm Fiona is forcing Madelinots to limit their drinking water consumption, Deputy Mayor Richard Leblanc said late Saturday morning.
Power cuts do not allow pumping as much water as usual, he explained. “It is better to save now just in case,” he added.
Post-tropical storm Fiona made landfall in eastern Canada Saturday around 4 a.m. Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT) and is affecting eastern Quebec.
Gusts of 119 km/h were recorded in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine by Environment Canada on Saturday morning. The agency warns that winds are expected to begin to ease very slowly during the day.
This type of storm always causes a strong undertow, says Environment Canada. Dangerous waves of 6 to 8 m hit the Îles-de-la-Madeleine.
It is forbidden to drive on the road network in the Magdalen Islands, completely closed to traffic since Saturday morning due to the effects of the storm, Mr. Leblanc announced very early Saturday morning.
“There are many obstacles in the way. There are trees. There are stones. There are materials that have flown away. There are overflows, floods. That’s why we’re asking you to stay off the road this morning. You are asked to avoid any travel, ”he said from the outset at a press conference.
At the end of the morning, Mr. Leblanc indicated during another press briefing that 22 victims had been taken care of.
“We have been evacuating since this morning, from the early hours of the morning, especially in the La Grave and La Pointe de Havre-aux-Maisons sector,” said Mr. Leblanc, who asked citizens who do not feel not safe to call 911.
He adds that, while the winds are expected to calm down, the storm is not over and that the winds will pick up again at the end of the afternoon.
damaged submarine cable
One of the two telecommunications cables linking the Îles-de-la-Madeleine to the mainland, COGIM 1, was damaged by the storm.
“According to our telemetry, it is 14 km from the banks that there seems to be a cut,” mentioned Nicholas Payant, vice-president, connectivity and reliability, at Bell.
He nevertheless assured that the services are 100% functional, the second cable, the COGIM 2, having taken over.
“In the event that this cable also has a problem, it is the microwave link that we have to Cape Breton that would take over,” he specified. The islands will not be isolated, communication will remain established. »
Mr. Payant added that there is no loss of service for Télébec and Bell Mobilité customers. Generators have been deployed where there have been power losses.
power outages
According to the Info-Panes website, nearly 7,000 customers are without power in the Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine region on Saturday noon. That number had dropped to 5,996 an hour later.
In a press briefing on Saturday morning, Hydro-Québec’s communications advisor, Ariane Doucet-Michaud, said that 10 teams are on the ground.
“It’s mainly to patrol for repair work, so they’re going to target on the network, it’s going to be where the highest priority places are, what equipment they’re going to need. They are preparing in advance so that when the winds drop, they can go and intervene,” she explained.
The Quebec Ministry of Public Security is also working with the municipality of Îles-de-la-Madeleine to manage the interventions.
“The municipality is very well prepared, the emergency measures plan is in effect and effective. The resources are mobilized, the disaster service centers are open, have the necessary equipment to take care of the people who have been evacuated or who will be evacuated, “said Félix Caron, civil security adviser at the ministry.
damage
The winds and the storm surge caused a lot of damage in the Magdalen Islands on Saturday morning. In addition to breaks on the Hydro-Québec network, buildings located on the coast were damaged.
“The church of L’Étang-du-Nord, which lost its roof, is impressive things that we are not used to experiencing,” said a resident of L’Étang-du-Nord, Anne- Marie Potvin, who has lived in the Magdalen Islands for a year and a half.
She considers herself lucky to be in a spared area, rather sheltered on the island of Cap-aux-Meules.
“There, we are like a bit in the eye of the hurricane, we can say that the situation has calmed down all the same, but it is starting to pick up a little. It’s not over at all, ”she observed shortly before 2 p.m. local time.
Elsewhere in Quebec
Other regions of eastern Quebec are affected by post-tropical storm Fiona this Saturday.
Winds of 60 gusting to 90 km/h affect the Gaspé coast on Saturday morning. The municipality of Percé has announced the closure of Route 132 between Chemin du Belvédère to Route Lemieux in L’Anse-à-Beaufils due to fallen Hydro-Québec poles.
Some 26 service interruptions are reported in Gaspésie on the Info-Panes site, affecting several thousand Hydro-Québec customers.
According to the latest Environment Canada bulletin, the system should head north during the day to reach the Lower North Shore. Coastal flooding is possible throughout the St. Lawrence estuary and on the Lower North Shore.