Hurricane Earl headed for East Coast, weather experts warn

Hurricane Earl, which has battered homes in the Caribbean, is now moving north and could hit Atlantic Canada by the weekend, weather experts warn.

Earl intensified into a Category 4 storm Tuesday as it packed winds of 215 kilometres per hour. The Canadian Hurricane Centre says its current path would bring it to the East Coast, where it could hit Nova Scotia and Newfoundland as early as Friday.

The hurricane centre, based in Dartmouth, N.S., said there are several possible routes Earl could take, so experts aren't sure which areas of each province will be affected.

"There is such a wide range of scenarios from Maine to Newfoundland, but people should be expecting, on a large scale, rain and wind from the storm in the Friday and Saturday time frame. Have it in the back of your minds that you'll be dealing with very high winds and rainfall, although a specific forecast is not spelled out yet," said Chris Fogarty, program supervisor at the Canadian Hurricane Centre.

"Right now, it's a major hurricane," he said.

Fogarty said the organization will provide regular forecasts every six hours beginning at 3 p.m. Tuesday as meteorologists monitor Earl's path toward Canada.

Current weather models show a diminished storm with anticipation that high winds will rattle Nova Scotia by Friday, but the pattern could change depending on Earl's movement over the next three days.

The next 24 hours are critical, Fogarty said, because Earl could decrease in intensity to a Category 2 storm, which would mean Canadians would deal with less severe weather conditions once the hurricane is soothed by cooler Atlantic waters.

But he said evacuations are becoming "more and more of a possibility."

The storm, the second hurricane this season, pulled away Tuesday from the northeastern Caribbean islands after it pounded the area and damaged homes with strong winds and rain.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center also issued warnings Tuesday of drenching rain and gusting wind for New England and North Carolina, where it could touch down on Thursday or early Friday.

In 2003, Hurricane Juan wreaked havoc across Nova Scotia and P.E.I. and left some areas in the region without power for up to two weeks. Juan was "just barely" a Category 2 storm, Fogarty said, adding, "but we saw how strong it was and what it was capable of."

Between Sept. 28 and 29 that year, Juan caused more than $200 million in damage as it blew across Nova Scotia and through Prince Edward Island, with gusts of wind up to 176 km/h through Halifax harbour,

The storm killed eight people and nearly flattened Halifax's historic Point Pleasant Park, toppling 70 per cent of the park's trees.

Though experts aren't sure how much damage Earl could cause, organizations in the Maritimes and Newfoundland are already preparing for the worst.

The Canadian Red Cross has pulled together about 900 disaster volunteers across Atlantic Canada in 21 emergency response teams. The workers are trained and equipped with backup power and telecommunications gear, response cars and trailers and shelter supplies such as blankets, cots and emergency kits.

"Now's the time for individuals to update their household emergency plan and list of key contact information for family members, health providers, employers as well as vital details like insurance policy numbers," said Bill Lawlor, the Red Cross director of disaster management.

Residents should fill up on gas, prepare for the possibility of evacuations and power outages and tie up or store away any lawn furniture, garbage cans and barbecues, Lawlor suggested.

Confederation Bridge, connecting P.E.I. to New Brunswick, and Marine Atlantic ferries, travelling between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, could be out of commission this weekend depending on weather.

"We will monitor the conditions, and we'll get together with our operations crew, including captains and onshore employees. Once we have a decision, we'll alert our customers and continue to update them," said Tara Laing, Marine Atlantic spokeswoman.

The Lunenburg Yacht Club, about an hour and a half drive south of Halifax, has already asked its 400 members to move their vessels to safer anchorage, though, said sailing co-ordinator Jennifer Swinimer.