Hurricane Fiona damages homes, knocks out power with strong winds in Canada

Fiona knocked out power to more than 500,000 customers in Atlantic Canada on Saturday, damaging homes with strong winds and rain as it made landfall as a big, powerful post-tropical cyclone. (Reuters)

Fiona transformed from a hurricane into a post-tropical storm late Friday, but meteorologists cautioned that it still could have hurricane-strength winds and would bring drenching rains and huge waves. (AP)

The fast-moving Fiona made Nova Scotia landfall before dawn Saturday, with its power down from the Category 4 strength it had early on Friday when passing by Bermuda, though officials there reported no serious damage. (AP)

The Canadian Hurricane Centre tweeted early on Saturday that Fiona has the lowest pressure ever recorded for a storm making landfall in Canada. Forecasters had warned it could be the one of the most powerful storms to hit the country. (AP)

Port aux Basques Mayor Brian Button said some houses have been washed away amid high winds and surging seas. A state of local emergency has been declared by the mayor and council of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality amid widespread power outages, road closures and damage to homes. (AP)

“There are homes that have been significantly damaged due to downed trees, big old trees falling down and causing significant damage. We're also seeing houses that their roofs have completely torn off, windows breaking in. There is a huge amount of debris in the roadways," Amanda McDougall, mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality, told. (AP)

A hurricane watch was issued for coastal expanses of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to delay his trip to Japan for the funeral for assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (AP)

Fiona so far has been blamed for at least five deaths — two in Puerto Rico, two in the Dominican Republic and one in the French island of Guadeloupe.Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center said newly formed Tropical Storm Ian in the Caribbean was expected to keep strengthening and hit Cuba early Tuesday as a hurricane and then hit southern Florida early Wednesday. (AP)

Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Centre said newly formed Tropical Storm Ian in the Caribbean was expected to keep strengthening and hit Cuba early on Tuesday as a hurricane and then hit southern Florida early on Wednesday. (Reuters)