Are you bracing yourself for Hurricane Sandy's arrival? Have you seen signs of her yet?
According to an article on CBC, Canadians should be prepared for "at least 72 hours without power" and in some areas, more than 50 millimetres of rain and winds of over 100 km/h.
The storm is steadily crawling up the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, and has already wrecked havoc on much of the US's east coast, causing devastation and hundreds of flight cancellations.
"Southern Ontario, southern Quebec and southwestern Maritimes will experience high wind gusts and periods of heavy rain beginning [late Monday] and continuing into Tuesday," warned Environment Canada in a bulletin. The mouth of the St. Lawrence and the Gaspé peninsula in Quebec is also expected to be hit by the storm.
The heavy rainfall of between 20 and 50 millimetres from Ontario through the Maritimes is expected to cause flooding. And winds of 90 km/h winds or higher, "especially along western Lake Ontario, the Niagara escarpment, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay," will likely lead to broken and uprooted trees, according to The Canadian Hurricane Centre.
"If you're in the Niagara Region [or] if you're south of [Lake] Huron towards Sarnia, northerly winds will be piling that water up on shore," said CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland. "Avoid being near the shore. The waves are fun to look at, but you'll be doing a dangerous thing to take in those sights."
Waves are expected to reach "five [to] six metres" in some coastal Maritime areas.
In a recent statement The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) advised citizens to stockpile supplies, "including water, food, flashlights and a first aid kit."
"Be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for at least 72 hours in an emergency,” said Mike Morton, Director of Disaster Management for the CRC. "By taking some time now to store emergency food, water and other supplies, you can provide for your entire family during a power outage or evacuation."
The CRC's suggested emergency kit items are:
Also a good idea to tether any outdoor items—such as garbage cans, lawn furniture, and Halloween decorations—that may be blown away, causing further damage.
Anyone due to travel should check the status of flights; as many as 300 have already been cancelled or grounded.
"Our primary goal at this point is to make sure that everybody understands that this is going to be a serious storm," said Allison Stuart, the chief of Emergency Management Ontario.
Do you think the warnings have been blown out of proportion? What preparations, if any, have you taken in the wake of Sandy?
Printer-friendly version