Hurricane Juan: Ten years later, is Atlantic Canada better prepared for hurricanes?

In late September of 2003, Hurricane Juan cut a swath of destruction through Atlantic Canada, resulting in eight deaths, around $200 million in damages, and it was considered the worst storm to hit Halifax in over 100 years. Now, nearly ten years afterward, is Atlantic Canada better prepared for these kinds of storms?

When Hurricane Juan made landfall in Nova Scotia on September 29th, 2003, it was a category 2 storm, packing sustained winds of up to 160 km/h. It came onshore just to the southwest of Halifax, slamming the city with its strongest winds, included prolonged wind gusts that had some people in the area convinced that the storm had actually been at least one category higher. These powerful winds damaged homes and businesses, uprooted thousands of trees (some which were up to 100 years old), and tore down power lines, leaving over 100,000 people without electricity for days afterward. Even before the storm made landfall, it pushed a record storm surge into Halifax Harbour that caused extensive flooding along the waterfronts of Halifax and Dartmouth.

Nova Scotia wasn't the only area affected by the storm, as it tore down numerous trees across Prince Edward Island, damaged boats and sea walls near Charlottetown, and caused power outages as well.

At the time of the storm, many considered it a matter of good luck and good timing that things hadn't been worse. If Juan had arrived just two hours earlier, the storm surge it pushed on shore would have been up to half a metre higher than it was, avoiding a significant amount of damage. Also, the storm arrived overnight, when most people were off the streets, and it swept through so quickly that it didn't have the time to dump a significant amount of rainfall over the provinces. That saved the provinces from suffering major flooding, which would have made the effects of the storm surge much, much worse.

Is the area better prepared for these kinds of storms now, though?

Although some authorities mentioned some apathy and general unpreparedness for Juan, the years since then have shown that the Maritimes are definitely in a better position than they were in 2003.

Hurricanes Kyle, Bill and Earl, from 2008, 2009 and 2010, have been the last three major storms to pass through the area, and although damages have still occurred, each storm was handled very well. This can be attributed to improvements in the province's emergency management, and how it cooperates with both municipal offices and with Environment Canada forecasters, but it's also due to the public staying more aware of storm warnings and being better prepared.

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This particular hurricane season has been a bit of a dud so far, which is a good thing, since these storms can cause significant damage. However, the hurricane season still has two months left to it, and storms have been known to form well after the traditional season has ended as well. Added to that is the news that we've entered an era when these storms might not happen more often, but ones that do occur may get stronger.

Improvements to infrastructure and cooperation between government offices can only go so far. If the public becomes complacent, especially as time passes and memories of Juan fade, combined with the likelihood of more extreme storms in the future, there is a chance for history to repeat itself.

(Image courtesy: NOAA/CHC)

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