State of emergency declared in St. John's region; raging blizzard brings eastern Newfoundland to a standstill

The City of St. John's andneighbouring municipalities, includingMount Pearl, Paradise and Conception Bay South on Avalon Peninsula,declared a state of emergency Friday as a massive storm system movedthrough the eastern part of Newfoundland and Labrador.

An unprecedentedblizzard that is whipping its way throughthe regionhas metro St. John's hunkering down for the day forwhat is projected to be 75 centimetresof snow andbracing against severe weather, withwinds reaching up to 150km/h. Mass power outages have swept through the metro area,Conception Bay North,the Burin Peninsula andGander vicinity.

The CBC station in St. John'slost its backup power, but thathasbeen restored.

At 3:30 p.m. NT on Friday, Municipal Affairs and Environment Minister Derrick Bragg said people throughout the eastern region of the island, particularly in the areas around St. John's, should stay indoors.

Other communitiesthroughout the Avalon Peninsula, on the island's east coast, issued their own states of emergency Friday afternoon, which includesNorman's Cove-Long Cove, Come By Chance, Torbay,Chapel Arm, Random Island WestandPortugal Cove-St. Philip's.

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Amid a state of emergency, St. John's appears almost deserted as people seek refuge from the storm indoors

Braggtold CBC News that25 of 26 snow clearing depots have been closed in eastern Newfoundland.

"With no snow clearing on the main highways, fire trucks and ambulances and all first responders would not, right now, be able to reach you in most cases," Bragg said.

"Please, don't do anything that would endanger the lives of first responders by putting these people out in these conditions. If the snowplow people are off the roads, you can be pretty sure it's not safe to be out."

At 9 p.m. the province's department of transportation and works said it's still too dangerous forplows to be operating. Many pieces of equipment as far west as Badger, about 450 kilometres west of St. John's, have been taken off highways due to unsafe conditions.

Plow operators have responded to 105 requests for assistance so far on Friday, 24 from ambulances, 21 from policeand 60 from the public, according to the department.

The department anticipates snow clearing to begin Saturday morning, adding that approximately65 centimetresof snow has fallen in the St. John's area so far.

According to Bragg, warming centres have been organized by municipalities, but it's importantto locate your nearest one before you losepower.

Bragg said there is a plan in place where most municipalities have a loaderor piece of snow-clearing equipment stationed in front of their fire halls.

Premier Dwight Ball spoke with CBC News on Friday evening. Hereminded the public to reach511, the province's travel information service, in the event of emergencies, either by phone or by visiting511nl.ca.

The service offers current updates on highway conditions for the entire province, and in the event of an emergency, the assistance of a snowplow operator to help with other emergency services, such as ambulances.

HowSt. John's, other municipalities are being affected

Judy O'Keefe, Eastern Health's vice-president of clinical services, said the health authority is advising staff not to report to work Friday evening or Saturday morning under the metro-area's current state of emergency.

Staff currently at work are advised that they cannot leave, due to safety concerns.

St. John's Mayor Danny Breen declared the state of emergency at 11 a.m., directing allbusinesses to close. All vehicles, except for emergency crews, have been instructed to leave the roads.

"Anybody that's out right now, you need to return to your home and you need to stay there until we lift the state of emergency," Breentold CBC News.

Breen also told CBC that the state of emergencyin St. John's is unlikely to be lifted on Saturday to give road crews a chance to clear.

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Fast, heavy snow and high winds whip through and shut almost everything down

At 6 p.m., St. John's temporarily suspended all snow-clearing operations. However, snowplow operators remain on standby at various locations throughout the city, including hospitals, fire departments and the Battery neighbourhood, according to the city.

As of 8 p.m., A part of the Battery neighbourhood was being evacuated due to an avalanche warning.

Breen said 311 is still available, and city staff are ready for emergency calls.

At 4:30 p.m.,Bonavista Mayor John Norman declared a state of emergency for the town about 300 kilometres northwest of St. John's.

Norman said all town staff have been pulled from the roads and advised residents to call 911 with emergencies.

In the event of a medical emergency, Norman said a town plow will be available as an escort to the hospital.

Government plows pulled from roads

The town of Paradisehas also removed its snow-clearing equipment from its streets.

Over 75 centimetres of snow isexpectedto fall on the Avalon Peninsulaby Friday night, while winds are expected to gust to as high as 150 km/h in coastal areas.

The storm is so powerful that the Newfoundland and Labrador government pulled its plows from regional highways.

Transportation Minister Steve Crocker saidthe main issue was visibility, with windshields granting views to little more thana solid plane of white.

"It's no longer safe. You can just imagine, the size of the equipment that our operators are operating, and they're out there and they don't know where a road ends or where a road begins in a lot of cases."

Blizzard in Newfoundland and Labrador 'unprecedented,' premier says

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Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball advised people in his province to remain inside, barring an emergency, amid the ongoing blizzard.

Premier Ball said the province is bringing in snow-clearing equipment from the west coast of the island to assist in the cleanup on the east coast.

"A lot of the work is happening today in preparation for when the storm is finally over, that we have supports in place to support those areas that need the extra equipment and human resources to get to the cleanup," he said.

Tracking the blizzard

CBC meteorologists Ryan Snoddon and Ashley Brauweilercontinue to track the blizzard, with updates which will see the strongest winds yet to come.

According to Snoddon, the Avalon Peninsula will feel the strongest winds by 6 p.m. Friday, butwill taper slightly overnight and into Saturday morning. Snoddon said Saturday afternoon will be a good window for those attempting to dig out, withwinds expecting to hover around 80 km/h.

The Bonavista Peninsula will continue to deal with strong winds overnight and into Saturday.

The Avalon Peninsula is expected to see a mix of rain and snow on Sunday and into the overnight, with rain or drizzle expected for Monday.

An RCMP spokesperson for the province had stern words for anybody thinking of driving in a non-emergency.

"It's no joke, this is not a 'nice to.' We're really saying, 'Stay off the road,'"said Const. Jolene Garlene.

She explained that officers have already been called to help drivers who've gone off the road and are stuck, but she said police on the islandhave limited capacity and ability to help in current conditions without putting themselves at risk.

Conditions steadily deterioratedthrough the morning, with visibility getting worse as winds pickup. Mayor Breen indicated the potential for power failures was a deciding factor in ordering the state of emergency.

"When you get the high winds like that, and the snow, there's just so many issues at play that you really do need to just shut it downget everything cleaned up," Breen said, addinghe doesn't recall the city facing such a severe storm in decades.

'We want everybody to stay home,' urges St. John's mayor

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Mayor Danny Breen says back-to-back storms are creating dangerous conditions

The last time St. John's declared a state of emergency was an ice storm that struck the regionin 1984, he said.

Breen said he isn't sure at this point when the order will be lifted, as much depends on cleanup that the city had already struggled with after back-to-back storms.

Up to 10 cm falling per hour

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District closed a slew of schools in the eastern and central regions, while Memorial University, the Marine Institute and the College of the North Atlantic were also shut for the day.

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John Fisher of Fisher's Loft in Port Rexton, N.L., said hisanemometerhit 160 km/h Friday afternoon, the highest Fisher said he has ever seen.

Ball said the provincial government is working closely with the federal government.

"The prime minister, I know, has reached out todayso has the local MP and the local minister here," he said.

"So everybody is engaged in thisworking with communities. Once the storm is over they will support the cleanup, and it will take some time. Sowe're asking people to be patient."

Transit, flights cancelled

Metrobus cancelled its public transit service before snow even fell, following up with a statement that it will also not be running on Saturday.

Most flights arecancelled at St. John's International Airport.

The state of emergency order affects taxis. Jiffy Cabs, one of the best-known companies in St. John's, said it is the first time in the business's history that it ever pulled its entire fleet off the road.

The Marine Atlantic ferry service has cancelled its morning crossings between North Sydney, N.S., and Port aux Basques, N.L.

Winds pickedup early Friday morning andsnow started falling around 4:30 a.m.

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