By The Canadian Press, The Associated Press

Digging out

Newfoundland reeling in wake of monster blizzard that buried St. John’s

Jan 19, 2020 | 10:22 AM

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Canada’s federal government is working on mobilizing the Armed Forces to help Newfoundland and Labrador dig out from the monster blizzard that paralyzed eastern regions of the province with record-breaking amounts of snow.

Newfoundland Premier Dwight Ball has asked for Ottawa’s help and Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan says the federal government is working to deploy all available resources on the ground in St. John’s.

O’Regan says that ensuring access to the city’s main hospital is a top priority

Environment Canada has ended a blizzard warning for the St. John’s, N.L., area Saturday but a state of emergency and storm surge warning remain in effect following a monster storm that buried the city.

Blizzard and storm surge warnings remain in effect in other areas of eastern Newfoundland and Labrador including Bonavista Peninsula, Bonavista North, and Bay of Exploits.

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But with more than 70 centimetres of new snow on the ground in some areas, and strong winds piling up drifts and creating white out conditions, roads were likely to remain treacherous.

There have also been widespread power outages. Overnight Friday, Newfoundland Power said its crews were working to restore electricity for about 21,000 customers.

The City of St. John’s, as well as several nearby communities, declared states of emergency late Friday morning, ordering businesses closed and all non-emergency vehicles off the roads.

A statement issued by the City of St. John’s this morning says the state of emergency “will remain in effect until further notice.”

At the peak of the storm, which some described as being like a blizzard in a hurricane, even snowplows were pulled off roads due to near zero visibility conditions. However, plowing operations in St. John’s resumed overnight.

Air traffic in the region was also shut down Friday, and all but a handful of flights at St. John’s International Airport remained cancelled Saturday morning.

Municipal officials have advised residents of St. John’s to prepare emergency kits with enough supplies to last for at least 72 hours.

Authorities have also been urging residents to keep in contact with elderly neighbours and to continuously stay in touch with people if travelling in case of an emergency.

(The Associated Press, The Canadian Press)