'Historic' Hurricane Fiona expected to bring extreme weather to eastern Quebec

Eastern Quebec will likely witness severe winds and rainfall Friday night and Saturday morning as Hurricane Fiona makes its way to Canada.

Quebec's Magdalen Islands will be hit the hardest after Nova Scotia and P.E.I., according to Peter Kimbell, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

He expects 125-kilometre winds on top of 100 millimetres of rain and high waves, which will "most likely" cause flooding on the islands.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre also issued alerts for the Gaspé Peninsula, Anticosti Island, Natashquan, and other Quebec areas near the Maritimes.

Residents should be ready to spend up to 72 hours without electricity, Kimbell said.

"People should listen to their local emergency alerts, have an emergency supply kit ready, and be prepared to be alone in a shelter during the storm," he said.

The Quebec government recommends the following items for home emergency kits:

• Six litres of drinking water per person
• Non-perishable food for at least three days, with a can opener
• Battery-operated radio and flashlight, with extra batteries
• Matches or a lighter with candles
• First-aid kit with antiseptics, painkillers, sterile gauze pads, scissors, and bandages

EXPECTED DAMAGE

Road washouts and property damage are likely to happen, especially in the Magdalen Islands and on the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula.

"Similar cyclones of this nature have produced structural damage to buildings," the weather agency stated on its website.

Though Hurricane Fiona will no longer be categorized as a tropical storm by the time it reaches Quebec, Kimbell said construction sites are still quite vulnerable to this "historic" storm.

"There might also be some outdoor furniture flying around, so people should be careful," he added.

Hurricane Fiona has already left more than one million people without electricity and running water in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, with Bermuda now bracing for impact.

Meanwhile, Incumbent Quebec Premier François Legault reassured the public that the government is prepared for the storm.

"We are following the situation closely. Public Safety, the Transportation Ministry, and Hydro-Quebec are ready," he wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

As the storm makes its way to Quebec and Atlantic Canada, members of the public can check the latest public weather alerts on Environment Canada's website.