‘Weather bomb’ blamed for three deaths in Maritimes
Posted Jan 4, 2010 05:21:44 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
2010 is young, but it already has a deadly snowstorm on record.
A nasty system brought high winds, freezing rain and up to 35 cm of snow to the Maritimes, causing major damage.
It’s also blamed for three deaths.
A Three Fathom Harbour man died of carbon monoxide poisoning Sunday morning in hospital. Police say Winston Fearon and a 32-year-old woman were using a generator during a power outage Saturday night and passed out. The woman was able to call 911 Sunday morning around 5:30, but Fearon died a couple of hours later.
RCMP were called to a home in Cornwallis on Sunday afternoon where a man’s body was found in the snow outside his house. Police believe the unidentified victim fell on Saturday evening and died of exposure.
A woman in P.E.I. was killed Sunday afternoon when a piece of snow-clearing equipment hit her in a parking lot.
Meterologist Richard Zurawski says predictions were for a big blast, and the storm delivered.
“It was a weather bomb,” he said. “The barometric pressure did drop, we did get the winds and we got over 30cm of precipitation in most areas. And it’s still continuing in Moncton and in through the southern and central areas of New Brunswick.”
Flights were delayed and cancelled at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, but spokesperson Ashley Barnes says not many travellers got stuck.
“I’m happy to say, there weren’t actually a lot of people stranded at the airport, it looks like most folks called ahead,” she said.
On the roads, Halifax Regional Police Staff Sgt. Sean Auld says motorists behaved and most people stayed home Saturday night into Sunday, and there were no major incidents reported.
