Hurricane Larry Leaves Tens of Thousands without Power in Newfoundland, Canada

Hurricane Larry struck Newfoundland early Saturday, knocking out power to tens of thousands of people.

According to CBC News, the Category 1 storm brought severe gusts, torrential rain, and storm surge to the eastern part of the Canadian province, including the capital St. John's and adjacent towns.

About 60,000 Newfoundland Power customers lost power before the storm passed through, but more than half of them were restored before noon, according to the power company.

The firm also stated that its whole personnel will be out repairing damage on Saturday and that residents should remain at home while crews analyse the damage.

"Hurricane Larry caused a significant amount of tree and property damage throughs the City of St. John's," a city statement said.

Residents in St. John's have been requested to keep off the roads "unless absolutely necessary" as city personnel "clean up streets, sidewalks, parks, and open spaces."

According to a statement from the City of St. John's, major parks such as Bannerman Park, Victoria Park, and Bowring Park were closed due to debris that needed to be cleaned.

"The priority for city crews at this time is to address streets and major road hazards," the statement added.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary stated that roads in Northeast Avalon were covered in debris, with police detecting downed trees and power wires in the area, and encouraged the public to keep off the roads to reduce the risk of public safety.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure of Newfoundland and Labrador also recommended the public to avoid Route 90 at St. Vincent's on the Avalon because a section of the road had been washed out. The same department advised motorists to use caution on Route 92 in North Harbour, which was limited to one lane while crews worked to clear debris.

Following the RNC's advisory, Metrobus Transit halted service.

According to CBC, social media footage showed the storm severely damaging the performance tent for the Iceberg Alley Performance Test concert festival near Quidi Vidi Lake, and the April Wine concert scheduled for Friday evening was cancelled owing to the storm.

Alan Doyle, Matt Mays, and The Fine Lads' performance on Saturday night was also cancelled.

"Refund information will be available in the coming days," the festival group said in a statement. "Crews are currently accessing the extent of damages. The future of additional performance is to be determined."

According to CBC News, bricks tumbled off the external wall of the Torbay Estates apartment building in St. John's at about 1:30 a.m. and shattered on top of two automobiles.

Mayor Philip Wood of Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, tweeted that the town's softball field had been damaged and begged locals to stay away while the area was cleaned.