CNN –
Deadly Hurricane Fiona has strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it heads toward Canada’s Atlantic coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Officials in Nova Scotia and Canada’s Prince Edward Island are asking those in the storm’s path to be on high alert and prepare for the impact of the hurricane, which has already killed at least five people and cut power to millions this week as it battered several Caribbean islands.
“Air Force hurricane hunters have been investigating the major hurricane and have found that it remains powerful and very large,” the center said in an update Friday morning.
The storm “is expected to be a historic and significant weather event for Nova Scotia,” said John Lohr, minister responsible for the provincial Office of Emergency Management.
“It has the potential to be very dangerous. Impacts are expected to be felt across the province. All Nova Scotians should be preparing today,” Lohr added during an official update on Thursday.
Residents should prepare for damaging winds, high waves, coastal swell and heavy rain that could lead to extended power outages, Lohr said. Emergency officials have encouraged people to protect outdoor items, cut down trees, charge cellphones and create a 72-hour emergency kit.
The area hasn’t seen a storm this intense in about 50 years, according to Chris Fogarty, manager of the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
“Please take this seriously because we are seeing weather numbers on our weather maps that are rarely seen here,” Fogarty said.
Utility Nova Scotia Power activated an emergency operations center (EOC) Friday morning that will serve as the central coordination area for restoration and response to outages, according to a news release.
The company will also work closely with the Nova Scotia Office of Emergency Management.
“We are taking every precaution and will be prepared to respond to Hurricane Fiona as safely and efficiently as possible,” Sean Borden, Nova Scotia Power’s lead storm coordinator, said in the statement.
“Once Fiona passes Bermuda, the storm is expected to affect Nova Scotia on Saturday afternoon. Fiona will become extratropical before impact, but that will do little to hinder the damage Fiona will cause,” explained the CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford.
In Atlantic Canada, winds could be about 160 km/h (100 mph) by the time Fiona makes landfall in Nova Scotia, Shackelford said.
Bermuda, which is under a tropical storm warning, closed schools and government offices on Friday, according to Michael Weeks, the island’s national security minister.
In Canada, hurricane warnings are in place for Nova Scotia from Hubbards to Brule and Newfoundland from Parson’s Pond to Francois. Prince Edward Island and Isle-de-la-Madeleine are also under warnings.
Prince Edward Island officials are asking residents to prepare for the worst as the storm approaches.
Tanya Mullally, who serves as the province’s chief of emergency management, said one of the most pressing concerns with Fiona is the historic storm surge it is expected to unleash.
“The storm surge will certainly be significant. … Flooding that we haven’t seen or measured,” Mullally said Thursday during an update.
He added that the northern part of the island will bear the brunt of the storm due to the direction of the winds, which will likely cause property damage and coastal flooding.
All provincial campgrounds, beaches and day-use parks, as well as Shubenacadie Wildlife Park, will close at noon Friday, the Nova Scotia Office of Emergency Management said.
“Safety is our priority as we prepare for significant storm conditions Friday night and Saturday. We are closing provincial park properties for the storm and will reopen when it is safe,” said Natural and Renewable Resources Minister Tory Rushton, in a statement announcing the closures.
Earlier this week, Fiona damaged homes and disrupted critical power and water infrastructure for millions of people in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos.
Days after Puerto Rico experienced an island-wide blackout when Fiona made landfall on Sunday, only 38 percent of customers had power restored Thursday, according to power grid operator LUMA Energy.
The massive power outage is coming as much of Puerto Rico endures extreme heat, which caused temperatures to feel as hot as 112 degrees Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
Daniel Hernández, director of renewable projects at LUMA, explained that critical sites, including hospitals, will be prioritized before repairs can begin on an individual level.
“This is a normal process. The important thing is that everyone is calm… we are working to get 100% of customers serviced as soon as possible,” said Hernandez.
Nearly 360,000 customers were experiencing intermittent water service or no service as of Thursday evening, according to the government’s emergency portal system.
As of Wednesday, more than 800 people were staying in dozens of shelters across the island, according to Puerto Rico Housing Secretary William Rodriguez.
President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for the US territory, FEMA said. The move allows residents to access grants for temporary housing and home repairs, as well as low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses.
In the Dominican Republic, Fiona affected 8,708 homes and destroyed 2,262 homes, according to the country’s head of emergency operations, Major General Juan Méndez García.
He said more than 210,000 homes and businesses were still in the dark Thursday morning and another 725,246 customers were without running water.
“This was something incredible that we had never seen before,” Ramona Santana in Higüey, Dominican Republic, told CNN en Español this week. “We are on the street with nothing, no food, no shoes, no clothes, just what you have on your back. … We have nothing. We have God and hope that help will come.”
Fiona also threatened parts of the Turks and Caicos on Tuesday, and areas of the British territory were still without power earlier this week, including Grand Turk, South Caicos, Salt Cay, North Caicos and Middle Caicos, he said Anya Williams, Acting Governor of the Islands.