Storm tears through New Brunswick, leaves 107,000 households without power

A vicious rainstorm with gusting winds tore across New Brunswick overnight Monday, leaving 107,000 NB Power customers without electricity when they woke up Tuesday. Wind speeds at Fredericton Airport on Monday night were clocked at 100 km/h, and 93 km/h in St. John, according to Environment Canada. School boards have listed their closures based on the few schools that remain open, as the province deals with the aftermath of the brutal winds and waits for power to be reinstated. The most affected area is Fredericton and the surrounding south-central region, with 40,000 customers affected, per Yahoo News and 50 school closures in the Anglophone West School District.Police have warned many roads are closed due to fallen trees, affected traffic lights and downed power lines. Spokeswoman for NB Power Dominique Couture said to expect more outages as the morning progresses and field teams have been sent to each district in the province to assess damage and make repairs where possible. Once the damage is assessed, the company will be able to give estimates as to when power will be restored. “Customers should be prepared for prolonged outages," she said in an email to Yahoo News. .Mayor of Saint Andrews NB Brad Henderson said the "significant weather event” made other storms look mild in comparison — and people should prepare for the “sound of chainsaws” as power poles are being repaired and trees cleared from the roads. Crews were out at 4:30 a.m. to clear debris from roads, he said. “I think there's going to be a common sound you hear, despite no power in the community, the common sound you're going to hear today is probably chainsaws.” Superintendent for the school district David McTimoney said schools that are open should be prepared to adapt to an unusual schedule, like combining classes when some teachers couldn’t make it in. “Today's a day where you can expect just about anything to happen,” he said.