ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland — Hurricane Igor pelted Canada’s Atlantic coast province of Newfoundland with heavy rain Tuesday, flooding communities, washing out roads and stranding some residents in their homes.
In the Pacific, a mild tropical storm formed and then weakened into a tropical depression over the Mexican resort area of Baja California.
The Canadian Hurricane Center said Igor had transformed into a “post-tropical” storm, which has a different structure from a hurricane but still packs the same punch. The storm was battering the province of Newfoundland, on Canada’s eastern coast.
The Hurricane Center said the change in classification does not reflect a downgrade in the storm’s intensity because winds have strengthened as the storm draws energy from another weather system to the west.
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“Normally the cool North Atlantic chills out these hurricanes, but this one came up with a vengeance and met another low-pressure system and the combined wallop of the wind and the water has been quite devastating,” Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams said.
Williams said Igor caused tens of millions of dollars in damage, adding that it’s the hardest they’ve been hit in recent memory. He said 14 communities have declared a state of emergency and 27 communities are isolated as a result of washouts and road damage. He said the damage is significant.
“There are a lot of homes that are nearly completely submerged. Barns and structures have been washed away, completely out to sea,” Williams said.
He said he would visit some of the affected communities today. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke with Williams. Dimitri Soudas, a spokesman for Harper, said the federal government stands ready to assist.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Boyd Merrill said they were investigating a report of a missing 80-year old man who was reportedly washed into the sea on Tuesday morning on Random Island when a driveway collapsed from underneath him due to heavy water flow. Merrill said police and the coast guard have not been able to access the island.
“This is not your normal heavy-rainfall flooding. It’s having a major impact,” said Chris Fogarty of the Canadian Hurricane Center. He said more than 8 inches of rain have already fallen in some regions in the past few hours.
Igor maintained maximum sustained winds near 86 mph. On Tuesday night, the storm center was about 205 miles east-northeast of Gander, Newfoundland, and moving north at 27 mph, the Hurricane Center said.
Schools have been closed and some flights at the St. John’s International Airport have been delayed or canceled. The Canadian company Husky Energy evacuated workers from two semisubmersible drilling rigs working in the White Rose offshore oil field, spokesman Colleen Mc-Connell said.
Igor knocked out power, grounded boats and downed trees in Bermuda and kicked up dangerous surf on the U.S. Atlantic coast.
Meanwhile, across Los Cabos - a string of Mexican resort towns at the tip of Baja California - boat owners scrambled to tie down yachts, while restaurant workers hauled in chairs and tables ahead of Tropical Storm Georgette’s arrival in the Pacific. Light rain fell Tuesday morning, but winds kicked up 6-foot waves.
Georgette had maximum sustained winds of near 40 mph but weakened as it moved over the Baja California Peninsula later Tuesday.
Meanwhile far out in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Lisa formed early Tuesday with winds near 45 mph. The storm was nearly stationary Tuesday night about 525 miles westnorthwest of the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Information for this article was contributed by Rob Gillies and Ignacio Martinez of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 09/22/2010