A major storm has set its sights on Atlantic Canada and Prince Edward Island residents need to start preparing now.
That is the message from Aaron Campbell, director of public safety with the province.
Hurricane Earl is a powerful Category 4 hurricane with winds of 217 kilometers per hour.
As it edges up the East Coast it is expected to lose strength but forecasters at the Canadian Hurricane Centre still expect Earl to hit P.E.I. as a Category 1 hurricane. That could mean winds of 119 to 153 km-h.
Exact details of how strong the storm will be and when it will hit will be known by late Thursday but it is expected to come across western parts of the province Saturday evening.
Campbell said people should not be hedging their bets about whether or not the storm will hit or how hard it will hit, they should be preparing for the storm now.
“People need to be preparing for a situation where we’re going to experience high winds and heavy rains or a possibility of both. Whether the storm is classified as a hurricane or a tropical storm it still will be a storm with some significant force that requires us all to pay attention,” - Aaron Campbell
“Based on what we know today is that we are going to have a severe weather event on the weekend,” Campbell told The Guardian.
“People need to be preparing for a situation where we’re going to experience high winds and heavy rains or a possibility of both. Whether the storm is classified as a hurricane or a tropical storm it still will be a storm with some significant force that requires us all to pay attention.”
It’s the U.S. that is currently dealing with the effects of Earl.
The governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland declared states of emergency.
Officials at the Canadian Hurricane Centre held a briefing for the media on Wednesday. These briefings will be held daily between now and Saturday, when the storm is expected to hit the region.
