N.L. premier urges residents to prepare as Hurricane Larry heads for province
Residents in eastern Newfoundland should get prepared by tying down loose items and stocking up on water and other supplies ahead of Hurricane Larry's expected landfall, Premier Andrew Furey said Thursday.
The storm is on track to sweep across eastern Newfoundland Friday night, bringing high waves, torrential rain and possible coastal flooding, Environment Canada says.
Furey outlined the steps the government was taking to ensure the safety of residents.
"The utility companies have emergency measures plans in place, as do the regional health authorities," he told reporters. "We don't know what storms bring, but we can be prepared for the worst."
A hurricane warning was in effect late Thursday for the Avalon Peninsula, including St. John's, while tropical storm warnings were in effect for the Burin and Bonavista peninsulas just to the west.
Environment Canada said Larry is expected to quickly downgrade into a post-tropical storm once it gets over colder Canadian waters, but it will bring heavy rainfall of up to 50 millimetres. The agency added that the region could experience winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour.
Bob Robichaud, a warning preparedness meteorologist, told reporters Thursday afternoon the storm was still about 1,700 kilometres from landfall at Cape Race, and it was not expected to weaken in the following 12 to 24 hours. He added the centre of the storm is set to track over the Avalon Peninsula.
Though there is set to be heavy rain, Robichaud said the main concern is the high winds that could cause damage within the area.
"We've seen it many, many times where when you get those winds, you tend to have uprooted trees, broken tree limbs, power outages, even in some cases some structural damage as well," he said.
Robichaud added, however, the worst of the storm should track over the St. John's area between midnight and 3 a.m. Saturday morning, meaning quieter roads and fewer people outdoors.
St. John's city councillor Maggie Burton released a statement Thursday calling for a robust emergency preparedness plan to be put in place to ensure the safety of the province's most vulnerable residents.
In the week following the 2020 blizzard dubbed "Snowmageddon," which led to a state of emergency in St. John's, Burton said she was on the ground supplying residents with food, supplies and medication they weren't able to get on their own. That's why she's now asking the government to step up to prevent citizens from falling through the cracks.
"If our emergency preparedness fails to take into account the most vulnerable, it is incomplete," Burton said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2021.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lebanon is rocked again by exploding devices as Israel declares a new phase of war
Walkie-talkies exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in a second wave of attacks targeting devices a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and officials for the militant group said. At least 20 people were killed and more than 450 wounded in the second wave, the Health Ministry said.
CTV News in Italy Stolen Winston Churchill 'Roaring Lion' portrait returned after ceremony in Italy
A special ceremony at the Canadian Embassy in Rome marked the successful recovery of an iconic portrait of Winston Churchill after a two-year search by Ottawa police.
NASA scientists recreate Mars 'spiders' on Earth for first time
NASA scientists have successfully replicated spider-like shapes found on the surface of Mars in a laboratory setting for the first time.
Ontario mother scammed out of $1,800 in Taylor Swift ticket scam
An Ontario mother lost $1,800 hoping to get Taylor Swift tickets for her seven-year-old daughter. 'I don't understand how someone could just take advantage of someone and their hard-earned money, and it was a gift for a seven-year-old girl,' Dana Caputo, of Tottenham, Ont., told CTV News Toronto.
'It starts off innocent': Manitoba man loses $185,000 to crypto-romance scam
A Manitoba man is warning others after he fell victim to an elaborate online scam over the summer.
Huge python grabs Thai woman in her kitchen, squeezes her two hours before she can be freed
A 64-year-old woman was preparing to do her evening dishes at her home outside Bangkok when she felt a sharp pain in her thigh and looked down to see a huge python taking hold of her.
Federal government to further limit number of international students
The federal government will be further limiting the number of international students permitted to enter Canada next year. It's the government's latest immigration-related measure to address Canadians' ongoing housing and affordability concerns.
Florida sheriff fed up with school shooting hoaxes posts boy's mugshot to social media
A Florida sheriff fed up with a spate of false school shooting threats is taking a new tactic to try and get through to students and their parents: He's posting the mugshot of any offender on social media.
Quebec woman charged with first-degree murder in death of five-year-old boy
A 29-year-old Quebec woman is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of a five-year-old boy southwest of Montreal.