Peggys Cove closed, drivers asked to stay off streets

CITYnews halifax\ By Dan Ahlstrand

Even before the centre of Post Tropical Storm Lee makes landfall, HRM felt the storm’s bite.  Halifax Regional Municipality has asked drivers to stay off area roads as they have received reports of downed trees and power lines as the city sees gusts near 100 km/h.

There had been concern about large waves and storm surges associated with the storm, and HRM has taken the step of closing the popular tourist area around Peggys Cove as a precaution.  Officials also ask people to avoid “areas of concern, ” including Eastern Shore and the Dartmouth, Bedford and Halifax waterfronts.  HRM also urged those living in coastal areas to stay indoors and be prepared to move to higher ground.

CityNews Meteorologist Carl Lam says because of the physical size of the storm, strong winds will be seen across Nova Scotia for much of Saturday and into Sunday.

“This is going to be a long-duration event,” said Lam. “With slow-moving storms it’s the rain-wind combo that can uproot trees and lead to shoreline erosion.”

The wind has resulted in several power interruptions as of 11 a.m. Saturday Nova Scotia Power reported 124,000 customers without electricity, with most interruptions occurring in HRM.

“It’s been a busy night and morning so far,” said Matt Drover, Nova Scotia Power Storm Lead. “We’ve seen a number of locations where trees have come down over our lines.”

NSP says strong winds are impacting their ability to get power restored.  For safety reasons, power crews are required to stand down when winds exceed 80 kmh.