People of Atlantic Provinces and Eastern Quebec Courageously Resist the Ravages of Hurricane Fiona

Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, September 24, 2022.

The Marxist-Leninist Party expresses its support and solidarity with the peoples of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, the Magdalen Islands and the Gaspé severely affected by Hurricane Fiona. The damage caused by the hurricane is already very serious: there are reports of people missing, road closures, flooding, homes destroyed or washed away, trees uprooted, power outages for nearly 500,000 homes, at last count.

We salute the first responders, firefighters, paramedics, health and hydro workers, volunteers and so many others who are already in action, taking social responsibility with speed and dedication. They bring out the best qualities of the working class and people, working tirelessly and acting selflessly in difficult conditions of torrential rains and 150 km/hr winds.

Fiona transformed from a hurricane into a post-tropical storm late Friday, but it still had hurricane-strength winds and brought drenching rain and huge waves. Entire structures were washed into the sea in the Newfoundland town of Port aux Basques. The town of 4,000 people was in a state of emergency with multiple electrical fires and residential flooding.

In Halifax, the roof of one apartment building was blown off and others sustained significant damage. There is extensive damage across the provinces and in Quebec’s Magdalen Islands. More than 415,000 Nova Scotia Power customers — about 80 per cent of the province of almost 1.2 million people — were affected by outages Saturday. Over 82,000 customers in the province of Prince Edward Island, about 95 per cent, also lost power, while NB Power in New Brunswick reported 44,329 were without electricity.

News agency reports inform that Canadian troops have been sent to help remove debris and restore transportation links. Prime Minister Trudeau cancelled his trip to attend the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He is reported as saying that more resilient infrastructure is needed to withstand extreme weather events. What was once a one-in-100 year storm might now arrive every few years because of climate change, he said.

The Magdalen Islands and southern parts of the Gaspé, including Haldimand, Sandy Beach, Douglastown, Seal Cove and York, were particularly affected. Quebec premier Francois Legault promised financial aid. CBC reports that “Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec government had previously promised $7 billion for improving infrastructure in the face of climate change and electrifying transport, though municipalities have yet to receive those funds.”

We also express our profound concern for the peoples of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos and Guadeloupe where damages are extensive and relief is inadequate or not forthcoming, as in the U.S. neglect of Puerto Rico.

Extensive damage in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Fiona.

Torrential rains, hurricane winds, floods, displaced families, extensive damage to property, interruption of basic services and loss of at least eight lives are the result of the impact of Hurricane Fiona throughout the Caribbean region.

We express profound concern for the people of the Philippines hit by Typhoon Noru which slammed into northeastern Philippines with 195 km/hr winds and 240 km gusts, hitting the coastal town of Burdeos on Polillo Island in Quezon province, heading across the Polillo Strait to Luzon island, toward Manila. Coastal communities were hit by tidal surges as high as three metres and damages from landslides are extensive.

Tropical storm Ian is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane and hit western Cuba and then the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle by the middle of next week. Cuba has a very advanced people-centred system in the face of hurricanes and tropical storms but suffers greatly to recuperate the losses due to the brutal U.S. blockade of the island. A state of emergency has been declared in Florida.

Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, September 24, 2022.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, September 24, 2022.

Prince Edward Island, September 24, 2022.

Magdalen Islands, September 24, 2022.

(Photos: Wreckhouse Press, T. Lylly, A. Bonnar, H. Shiba, HF11995, J.P Nadeau)