Hurricane Fiona is set to hit Canada’s east coast as a Category Four storm early Saturday morning. Nova Scotia and P.E.I. residents have been encouraged by Environment Canada to prepare emergency kits, as the weather service is predicting flooding, prolonged power outages, and structural damage to buildings. Residents have been instructed to prepare enough food and water to last 72 hours, charge their electronics, and bring all patio furniture inside their homes. 

Meteorologists are predicting that Hurricane Fiona could be Atlantic Canada’s strongest-ever storm – the storm is predicted to hit the coast at 935 millibars, setting a new record in Canada. Hurricane force-winds currently extend approximately 70 miles in both directions from the centre of the storm; it is predicted that Nova Scotia, P.E.I., and coastal Newfoundland will experience 6-10 inches of rain, resulting in flash floods in some areas. Eastern Gulf of St. Lawrence is expecting to see waves of up to 39 feet high, and significant erosion is expected to occur along the coast of P.E.I. Bob Robichaud, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, cautioned in a briefing on Thursday that Fiona is an “extremely strong and dangerous” storm. 

Fiona is travelling towards Cape Breton at a wind speed of 215 km/h. A hurricane watch has been issued for most of Atlantic Canada, with an additional tropical storm watch having been issued for Southern Quebec and inland Newfoundland.  It has been more than 50 years since a storm of similar proportion hit Canada’s coasts. 

The storm has already devastated coastal regions in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, having landed late Monday in the region. Five people are dead and more wounded across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Guadalupe. Puerto Rico experienced more than two feet of rain and winds of approximately 160km/h, leaving much of the island without power. More than 1 million people in the Dominican Republic and half a million in Puerto Rico are without access to running water as a result of the damage. More than 600 homes were destroyed in the Dominican Republic, and more than 800 people in Puerto Rico have been moved into shelters.  

The storm landed in the Caribbean as a Category One hurricane and has increased in power as it travelled up the coast. Erika Fleck, Assistant Chief of Emergency Management for Halifax Fire and Emergency, said in an interview with CBC News that Halifax Fire is preparing for a “major event,” and that flooding and road blockages are likely. “The biggest thing is for people to stay inside and stay safe,” she said. “If they do have to evacuate, they call 911 and we will evacuate them immediately. We will have emergency shelters open in advance of the storm.”