Today St John’s Newfoundland is digging out from a record breaking blizzard that saw 76 cm of snow whipped over the city by winds sometimes exceeding 100 km an hour.
During the storm, city workers and snowploughs were ordered off the streets due to whiteouts and the hazardous conditions.
Some basement apartments were completely buried by the record-breaking storm (Ryan Cooke-CBC)
Even as the blizzard moved on, a few more centimetres of snow fell. That was followed on the weekend by another few centimetres of snow as the blizzard moved on.
Although stores had been ordered closed, some gasoline stations were allowed to open to provide emergency supplies. As there are often convenience stores attached these were opened as well immediately attracting line ups as people sought groceries in spite of the state of emergency order. The stores were then ordered closed. (Andrew Vaughan- CP)
The city is still under a state of emergency, meaning people are asked to stay off the streets, and some 300 Canadian Forces personnel are arriving to help dig the city out.
Schools and many businesses are still closed and when a store is opened, the lineups form quickly as people seek groceries.
Members of the Canadian military are arriving today to help with the clean up and aid where needed (Andrew Vaughan- CP)
Fortunately, the skies are clear today, winds have been greatly reduced and temperatures are hovering around zero which is helping with the clean-up and helping some people to be able to dig out of their homes.
CBC ‘The National’- News report
Additional information-sources
- CBC: Jan 20/20: Stormstruck Newfoundland struggles with cleanup, as military help ramps up
- CBC: Jan 17/20: State of emergency declared in St. John’s region; raging blizzard brings eastern Newfoundland to a standstill
- CTV: C. O’Brien: Jan 18/20: Winter weather escalates across Canada as army sent to help Newfoundland
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