Update from PEI EMO on effects of Hurricane Dorian

Press Release

September 09, 2019

Islanders are beginning to see the recovery efforts from government, community partners and Maritime Electric. Restoration efforts following Hurricane Dorian are well underway and will be ongoing for several days and weeks.

There have been no known fatalities due to Hurricane Dorian. The safety and wellbeing of Islanders remains a top priority.

Government departments began assessing and addressing the aftermath of Dorian at first light on September 8, 2019. Some key activities include:

Road crews have cleared the majority of provincial roads of debris and will continue this work.
Some farmers and fishers are dealing with damages, some significant to infrastructure, boats and crops. Assessments are still underway.
Most health facilities continue to operate, some on generated power. Gulf Shore and Central Queens health centres’ have cancelled patient appointments today until 10 a.m.
Two storm-related fires resulted in extreme structural damage on the first day. In both fires, the cause was related to improper generator use.
English and French school boards have closed schools for the day to continue damage assessments.
Government offices are delayed until noon today while assessments continue.
Government emails and websites experienced temporary outages. Most operations have returned to normal today.
EMO continues to work closely with communities to ensure Islanders are aware of the municipal reception centres. Twenty-five centres opened on the first day and municipalities continue to evaluate the need for further reception centres.

Maritime Electric spent a significant portion of the first day post-Dorian assessing and repairing damages. Regular updates will be made to their website Maritime Electric Outage Map(link is external) their social media pages or call 1-800-670-1012 for the latest news.

Islanders are reminded that in the coming days:

Never leave candles unattended;
Generators must be used outside only and at least five feet away from anything that can catch fire;
Always allow the generator to cool down before refueling;
Contact your local municipality for reception center openings and closures;
Islanders with health appointments should call ahead to confirm appointments;
Remember to take photos and videos to use when reporting damages to your insurance company;
Call 911 in case of any emergency;
Get updates from local media, @peipublicsafety on Facebook and Twitter, and municipal, and community social media pages.

Government thanks all first responders, law enforcements agencies, community partners and Islanders who have taken swift action to support the Dorian recovery efforts for Prince Edward Island.

Media contact:
Vicki Tse
Executive Council Office
vickitse@gov.pe.ca

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