A fierce storm continuing across Newfoundland and Labrador on Tuesday has knocked out power for over 9,000 residents, and prompted some families in the southern Avalon community of Trepassey to evacuate their homes — all as a fish plant burned to the ground.
Mayor Wanda Waddleton told CBC News on Tuesday that two families living in the lower coast area of the community were evacuated for safety reasons, and more could be on standby.
“The water is starting to come in over the breakwater, or the sea wall.… Right now, we’re open to the sea,” Waddleton said, adding 29 residents live in the area, many of whom are seniors.
“They could be blocked off from the rest of the harbour within a few hours, but hopefully, when the winds die down, we can get it cleared again. But if there’s too much damage done, we could be days that we could be separated.”
The town’s breakwater was damaged during a storm in 2024, and has yet to be repaired.
Winds in Trepassey gusted to 143 km/h early Tuesday evening, according to CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler.
St. Mary’s fish plant burns down
Some of the heaviest winds have been reported in Cape St. Mary’s. Meteorologist Rodney Barney said the top gust through 7:30 p.m. NT was 172 km/h.
Fire crews in the community had to quickly spring into action when a fire was reported at the town’s fish plant. Mayor Steve Ryan said the structure was destroyed before crews could get to it.
Earlier in the evening, Ryan told CBC News the winds were unlike anything he’d seen before.
“My front room window is covered in branches and brambles, and my window is buckling,” he said. “I have two large windows in the front of my house, and they’re actually moving back and forth.”
Ryan said water has also gotten into the the town’s abandoned fish sauce plant — which still contains product, but hasn’t operated in two decades, resulting in a rancid smell.
The town has secured funding to clean out the plant, but Ryan said they aren’t far enough in the process to actually begin that work. Therefore, the sauce remains in the building.
“If the water got really high tonight, it could take the building. And the building will be into the ocean with 110 vats with sauce in it that is apparently deadly to fish,” he said, referring to a 2016 Environment Canada report that shared test results of effluent from the abandoned facility and described it as “acutely lethal” to fish.
Storm causes mass power outages
Elsewhere, the risk of coastal flooding along the eastern Burin Peninsula to the southern Avalon Peninsula continues.
Severe weather conditions have caused power outages across the island. More than 9,000 Newfoundland Power customers are without power as of 6:45 p.m. NT Tuesday.
Police have advised residents to drive at reduced speeds and with extreme caution as the risk of hydroplaning increases, or stay off the roads entirely.
Brauweiler said the rain is expected to break in some areas, but the low-pressure system approaching the island brings risk for significant winds and storm surge.
“This is going to essentially continue as we head through the night tonight, along with some really windy conditions, as well,” Brauweiler said.
“Those winds will be gusting somewhere between 80 to 100 km/h for the Avalon, really eastern portions of the island. And we could be seeing wind gusts as high as 120, even 130 km/h for southern areas of the island.”
Environment Canada issued several weather alerts for the province because of the expected heavy wind and rainfall, as well as coastal flooding statements for the southern Avalon, Burgeo to the western side of the Burin Peninsula and the northeast coast from the Bay of Exploits to the Bonavista Peninsula.
A storm surge warning has also been issued for the southern Burin Peninsula through Placentia Bay, including the southern Avalon.
CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler has the latest details on a fierce storm that will lash parts of Newfoundland, and bring a risk of coastal flooding along a stretch of the province.
A storm surge could also potentially be seen on Wednesday and through Thursday on the northeast coast.
“As we approach high tide, which is between 6 and 8 p.m. tonight, the potential exists for, you know, some storm surge along with some fairly high winds. Some of the models have nine- to 12-metre waves breaking at the shore,” Brauweiler said.
Most of the province will see between 30 mm to 50 mm of rain, but snow is falling in central and western Newfoundland.
Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for portions of central, western and northern Newfoundland just after 5:30 p.m. NT on Tuesday.
Areas in higher terrain could see as much as 20 cm, while lower lying areas could see a mix of snow and rain.
Parts of southern and eastern Labrador are also under a special weather statement expected to last from Tuesday evening into Thursday. Rain with strong northwesterly winds are expected, with the worst conditions expected on Thursday, according to Environment Canada.
Roads being pounded
Verna Hayward, mayor of St. Vincent’s-St. Stephen’s-Peter’s River on the southern end of the Avalon Peninsula, said the town saw heavy wind and rain over the course of Tuesday.
She said a main concern is what pounding surf could do to roads and the local causeway, which has already been tested in recent days.
“On the weekend we had the sea come over the beach, over the road, in two places,” Hayward told CBC News on Tuesday.
“The sea is mighty powerful, so I don’t know, we just hope and pray that, you know, we don’t lose the road.”
Lamaline Mayor Don Collins, located on the southern Burin Peninsula, said the area is also bracing for impact. Some residents lost power this afternoon.
The town recently completed a new shoreline protection area following damage sustained during Hurricane Larry in 2021.
“[With] this surge, it will be tested, I guess,” Collins said.
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