*Catch up on our special coverage of Hurricane Fiona’s arrival on Canadian shores with our journalists in Gaspésie, les-de-la-Madeleine and Halifax*
The passage of Hurricane Fiona wreaked havoc on Saturday in a small coastal town called Port au Basque, located in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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The authorities declared a state of emergency earlier on Saturday.
While some dwellings are dealing with major floods or electrical fires, other homes have simply been washed away by the sea.
Many Port-au-Basque residents posted pictures of the damage on social media, where flooded roads and collapsed buildings could be seen.
At around 11:30 a.m., the city asked its citizens to “refrain from risky behavior,” such as taking photos and videos in flooded areas.
“It is not safe. Residents are exposing themselves and first responders to unnecessary risks,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) tweeted.
The city’s mayor, Brian Patton, supports these recommendations. “A house can be exchanged, but you can’t,” he also said in a Facebook Live video.
“You have to leave. The houses have already been swept away. The mayor ordered ‘We want you to leave now’.”
Provincial meteorologists estimate that wind and water levels will remain high until at least Saturday evening. “We are still seeing very strong winds, especially in southwest Newfoundland. We expect these winds to remain very strong until Saturday evening,” said David Neil, an environment and climate change meteorologist for Canada.
