'We were pretty lucky': Winnipegger in Halifax recounts Fiona's wrath

As a Winnipegger living in Halifax, Justin Cross says he didn't know what to expect as post-tropical storm Fiona pummelled Atlantic Canada.

This is Cross' third year living in Halifax while attending school at Dalhousie University, and he says he has never experienced anything like he has in the past 24 hours.

"My family in Winnipeg was sending the articles of you know all the news saying it's going to be Canada's worst storm and stuff and they were kind of freaking out more than me," he told CTV News from his home in Halifax.

He said around 10 p.m. Friday night, he started to hear the winds howling.

"We looked outside and we started seeing some trees swaying a lot. And then we were all in our kitchen at around 12 and we just heard this big bang," he said.

One of the trees right in front of his house had blown over and crushed a neighbour's truck.

The aftermath of post-tropical storm Fiona in Halifax on Sept. 24, 2022. (Source: Justin Cross)

"The winds, how strong they were, I've never experienced anything like that," he said.

Fiona, one of the strongest storms to ever strike Eastern Canada, forced towns in Cape Breton and on Newfoundland's southwestern coast to declare states of emergency.

At the Halifax Stanfield International Airport wind gusts of 109 km/h were reported around 3 a.m., hitting 135 km/h at the mouth of Halifax Harbour.

READ MORE: N.L. woman missing after Fiona sweeps homes into sea, wreaks havoc across East Coast

"Waking up this morning I just went for a drive and the roads were covered. People were helping as much as they can, like cutting down branches," he said, adding no one in his area was injured.

Cross said as of Saturday, most of Halifax is without power and may be in the dark for a few days.

The aftermath of post-tropical storm Fiona in Halifax on Sept. 24, 2022. (Source: Justin Cross)

"Hopefully, we'll have enough food to get by, but some rough conditions in Halifax right now."

He said he spoke with his family Saturday morning to let them know he was okay.

"We luckily just got the outskirts of it," he said. "I think we were pretty lucky in the overall picture of things, but it definitely could have been worse."