#3 Postby tropicana » Wed Mar 09, 2005 11:41 pm
High winds overnight cause power outages throughout Canadian Maritimes
HALIFAX (CP)
WED MARCH 9th 2005
- Thousands of people were without electricity Wednesday after winds peaking at 146 kilometres an hour overnight downed power lines and damaged buildings throughout the Maritimes.
About 22,000 customers were affected in New Brunswick, more than 4,000 in Prince Edward Island and several thousand in Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia, power crews were out throughout the night in heavy rain and strong winds as they tried to reconnect downed lines.
Margaret Murphy, spokeswoman for Nova Scotia Power, said the winds were making it difficult for repair crews.
"If you have a bucket truck 60 feet in the air, you have a few problems when the winds are up over 90 or 100," she said.
"First off, it's not going to be stable. It's flapping around. You can't get through the trees to reach the wires."
Some schools were closed in the region because of the outages.
At least 10 flights were cancelled at Halifax International Airport and travellers were advised to call about the status of their flights.
In Truro, N.S., the winds tore off the roof of a car dealership and there was some flooding. The roof of an apartment building in Saint John, N.B., was ripped off by the storm.
Truckers with empty rigs were advised to stay off the roads until winds die down. Two trucks were blown on their sides overnight on Nova Scotia's Highway 102. No one was injured.
The Confederation Bridge between New Brunswick and P.E.I. was closed to high-sided vehicles late Tuesday night. The restriction continued into the morning.
A bridge in Antigonish, N.S., was closed because of flooding.
Environment Canada said a peak gust of 146 km/h was recorded in Halifax, where some signs were uprooted from the pavement along the waterfront.
-justin-
0 likes