Nova Scotians Respond Well to Hurricane Earl

Recovery and clean-up efforts from Hurricane Earl are progressing quickly throughout the province.

All essential services such as hospitals, water-treatment facilities and other public utilities have power restored. Much of the debris has been cleared from roads and they are open to traffic. People should still continue to drive with care and be cautious of downed trees and power lines.

"I would like to thank all our partners for pulling together and responding so quickly and efficiently to Hurricane Earl," said Ramona Jennex, Minister of Emergency Management. "I also extend my sincere appreciation to Nova Scotians for being so prepared for this event. It's great to see neighbours continuing to help each other recover from the storm."

Nova Scotia Power reports that power has been restored to more than 75 per cent of those affected in central Nova Scotia, including Halifax Regional Municipality, and anticipate most power will be restored throughout the province today. People in remote areas or those with more severe damage, are expected to have their power restored by tomorrow. People can check on the status of outages at nspower.ca (nspower.ca/m from mobile devices), or report outages by calling Nova Scotia Power at 1-877-428-6004.

Food safety is always a concern during power disruptions lasting several hours. The Department of Agriculture advises people to be careful about the food in their refrigerators or deep freezers. Foods will generally keep in refrigerators for several hours without power, if the door is kept closed. A fully stocked deep freezer can keep foods safe for two to three days. For food safety questions or concerns over the weekend, call 1-877-252-3663.

Please note the following food safety information:

• If you are still without power, perishable foods in fridges since the power outage, such as meats, fish, poultry, dairy, cooked vegetables, cooked pasta, cooked rice or protein-based food like eggs or tofu, are likely unsafe. They should be thrown out.
• For deep freezers, as food may be starting to thaw, check to determine if food must be relocated to a working freezer or consumed before it completely thaws and reaches temperatures about 4 C (40 F). Food such as fruit and berries can be refrozen.
• Partially thawed foods can be refrozen. Raw meats that are thawed and are still at temperatures 4 C (40F) or colder can be cooked and consumed or refrozen if you now have power.
• If perishable food is warmer than 4 C (40 F) for longer than two hours, it should be discarded.

Nova Scotians are urged to exercise caution at beaches as high winds and increased swells are still possible. All provincial beaches, as well as day-use and camping parks, remain closed to the public until storm damage assessment is completed. The Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park re-opened at 9 a.m., today. Public notice of reopening of other facilities will be provided on www.novascotiaparks.ca .

The following are contact numbers for various agencies involved in the clean-up process:

• Food Safety, 1-877-252-3663
• Halifax Regional Municipality, 902-490-4000
• Aliant (to report phone outage), 611
• Red Cross, 1-800-222-9597
• Nova Scotia Power Inc., 902-428-6004