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Maritimers digging out after latest storm

HALIFAX — It may be today before all power is restored in New Brunswick after the fourth storm in as many weeks descended on Atlantic Canada
Atl Storm
Pedestrians walk through slush on Spring Garden Road in Halifax

HALIFAX — It may be today before all power is restored in New Brunswick after the fourth storm in as many weeks descended on Atlantic Canada.

NB Power’s website says that some of the 5,000 customers were without power at 4:15 p.m. local time Tuesday.

Meghan Gerrish, a spokeswoman for the utility, said that heavy, wet snow and strong gusts caused damage to lines in Sussex, Miramichi and Bouctouche, as well as the province’s northeast.

She says that crews have to work through dozens of incidents of downed power lines, and it will take until Wednesday to complete the work in northern New Brunswick communities.

Gerrish was hopeful most power in the Sussex area would be on by Tuesday night.

In Nova Scotia, all but a few customers in the Annapolis Valley had power again by the middle of the day, after thousands spent Monday in the dark.

In Prince Edward Island, electricity was also restored in most locations.

Northern New Brunswick and western Prince Edward Island saw up to 30 centimetres of snow and blizzard-like conditions on Monday night.

However, projected storm surges did not prove to be as severe as feared along the Northumberland Strait.

Karl Wilmot, a manager with New Brunswick’s Emergency Measures Organization, said there was localized flooding but no reports of serious damage along the province’s eastern coast.

He said that teams of inspectors are back on the road providing assessments of damage caused by the previous three storms.

The province has seen over 100 people forced from their homes by coastal storm surges and overflowing rivers.

To date, at least a dozen homes have been damaged beyond repair, he said.

Ernie MacGillivray, executive director of emergency services, has said estimated damage could reach $50 million. That includes both insurance claims and disaster relief that will be requested from government.

Meanwhile, police say slippery roads played a role in a fatal accident near Fredericton, P.E.I. on Monday.

A 25-year-old Island man was killed when an eastbound minivan lost control and was struck by westbound pickup on Route 2.