Storm Arthur: Nova Scotians face hours without power

It could take several hours for power to be restored to thousands of Nova Scotians as post-tropical storm Arthur sweeps through Nova Scotia.

Environment Canada says Arthur landed intheMeteghanarea of southwest NovaScotiaat about 7:30 a.m. AT Saturday. Maximum sustained winds reached 110 km/h, with wind gusts of 116 km/h in the Halifax area.

The number of reported power outages steadily rose during the day.As of 8 p.m. Nova Scotia Power says approximately 132,00 customers were without power, a drop from 142,000 customers at 6:30 p.m.

The utilitytweeted that it could take up to six to 12 hours to restore the large outages.

• Power outages hit Maritimes as post-tropical storm Arthur
• Storm Centre: Cancellations and more
• Arthur sinks boat in Charlottetown harbour

Nova Scotia Power says it's experiencing a high number of online traffic and phone calls, which is overwhelming both systems. Many customers say they're unable to report more outages or get updates.

Nova ScotiaPower has 60 crews and 26 contract working to deal with outages.

"Crews are working to safely restore service as quickly as possible," tweeted the utility.

Fallen branches

RCMP issued a warning about falling debris after a branch fell on a man in Onslow, trapping him underneath.

Firefighters had to cut the tree branch to get him to safety. The man was "lucky" that he wasn't seriously hurt, RCMP said.

• Man trapped by tree branch during storm

Trucks have been zipping around for much of the day,carrying split tree trunks and tangled branches.

In Halifax,Janis Brown woke up when she heard a loud "thunk." Atree fell on a power line near her house.

"The pole that's attached to the house came off, landed on top of a car," said the Seaforth Street resident.

Ive got to find an electrician in the meantime. Not easy on a Saturday."

Michael Williams watched another tree fall in Halifax.

"I heard a loud noise and I looked outside the window and saw a part of a tree fall down and just miss my car," he said.

It was a wild wake-up call for Adrienne Comeauon Olivet Street. The wind punched through her apartment window. Shes weathering the rest of the storm with cardboard and plastic as a barricade.

I wasnt scared, but I wanted to get the wind out of the apartment because the things were starting to rattle on the walls, she said.

Maybe close your window folks, chimed in her daughter Rachelle.

The storm didn't stopMargaret McAloonfrom heading to the Dartmouth farmers' market.

"We're going to go to other shops and go to the mall to do some errands and just do our typical Saturday morning manoeuvres," she said.

Cancellations

The storm has forced delays and cancellations at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

The LaHave and Tancook Island ferries are tied up due to the weather.

The ferry connecting Saint John, N.B., and Digby is also cancelled. Marine Atlantic has cancelled its evening trips between North Sydney and Newfoundland.

The MacKaybridge that spans Halifax harbour is closed to high-sided vehicles.

Unlike the wind, rain isn't expected to be as big of a problem.

Storm effects

"It looks like NovaScotia, for the most part, will have a bit of a dry spell before the rain redevelops again later today as the system moves right across the province," said CBC meteorologist PeterCoade.

Environment Canada says large waves are expected along the Atlantic coast.

The storm is moving northeast and is expected to leave the Maritimesovernight.

Chris Fogarty, with the Canadian Hurricane Centre, said people in Cape Breton likely won't feel the effects of Arthur until Saturday evening.

Its a storm Vanessa Slaunwhite on the South Shore wont forget for a long time.

I went out for a cigarette and I thought a tree was going to fall on my head, she said.

Kind of scary. I was inside of the bakery. Windows were rattling, fans coming flyingout of windows. We were almost getting smashed in the face inside a bakery.

Her sister Amanda has adifferent recollection.

I slept right through it, she said with a laugh.