Advertisement

Hurricane Teddy expected to bring strong winds, rain to parts of New Brunswick

As Hurricane Teddy bears down on Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick is expected to be the least affected of the four provinces, but emergency officials are urging residents to prepare for high winds and heavy rain.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre is projecting the track of Hurricane Teddy to continue along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia toward Cape Breton.

Jim Prime, a warning preparedness meteorologist with the centre, said the storm was passing just east of Bermuda on Monday morning and will be moving into the Atlantic provinces late in the day on Tuesday.

It's expected to diminish to a post-tropical storm before making landfall.

"Because that low centre is going to be further to our east, New Brunswick is fortunate," Prime said. "Out of all the Atlantic provinces it looks like we're going to have the least amount of impact."

CBC meteorologist Tina Simpkin said the effects of the storm will be felt starting along the Fundy Coast starting Tuesday morning with clouds and wind picking up.

Simpkin said winds are expected to pick up in Fredericton in the afternoon with gusts from the northeast up to 50 kilometres an hour.

Rain is also expected in the afternoon and winds could reach up to 70 kilometres an hour in the provincial capital Tuesday evening.

Rainfall totals from across much of the province will be felt most mid-week, with about 30 to 40 millimetres of rain expected in the southeast. The northwest is expected to see less rain and lower winds

"I think Wednesday we're going to really feel the effects for central and northern New Brunswick more so than anywhere else," Simpkin said.

CBC
CBC

New Brunswickers advised to prepare

Moncton officials were busy Monday morning preparing for the effects of Hurricane Teddy to hit the eastern part of the province.

Fire Chief Conrad Landry, the incident commander of the city's Emergency Measures Organization, said efforts were underway to clear storm drains in anticipation of heavy rain.

"It's time to bring in the patio furniture, the light stuff and make sure that there's nothing the wind can throw around," he said.

New Brunswickers are advised to have enough essential supplies to last three days, such as food and medications in case of power outages. People should also have backup power for cell phones and keep their fridges closed if they lose power.

With high winds expected, Landry said there's potential for downed trees on power lines.

Radio-Canada
Radio-Canada

The province's Emergency Measures Organization encouraged people to prepare.

Spokesperson Geoffrey Downey said a supply kit should include water, non-perishable food, a can-opener, a battery crank-powered radio, flashlight, money and spare keys.

"We just take the advice from the experts and prepare for the worst," he said.

The EMO is also asking people to run errands today so they can stay at home when the storm hits.

Downey said the organization will be in communication with response partners to restore any power outages or clear roads as quickly as possible.

"We get these kinds of storms regularly unfortunately," he said. "Everyone's ready and prepared to react."

NB Power ready for outages

NB Power spokesperson Marc Belliveau said private contractors have been secured and are on standby if extra support is needed. The utility has about 140 of its own employees ready to respond to any outages.

Belliveau said NB Power will be tracking the storm throughout the day to determine where to send crews.

Roger Cosman/CBC
Roger Cosman/CBC

"Right now the way we're looking at it, we're thinking the areas that could be hit hardest would be Shediac, Bouctouche and the Moncton area," he said.

Preparation includes making sure poles and wiring are ready, chainsaws are sharpened, trucks are fuelled, and COVID-19 personal protection equipment is available.

"It's so volatile, it can change from one direction to another so quickly — it's really hard to predict," Belliveau said.