N.S. man dies trying to save boat during Earl

Oneperson has died in Nova Scotia in an incident related to HurricaneEarl.

Halifax Regional Policesaidtwo men made their way at about 2 p.m.AT Saturday to a boat that had slipped its moorings at Blind Bay, about 25 kilometres from downtown Halifax, though it wasn't clear how they reachedthe boat.

Once the vesselwas reattached,one of the men dived into the waterto swim back to landbut remainedunder the surface.

Police have identified the manas 54-year-old Johnny Mitchell Jr. from Bayside, N.S.

He was unresponsive when he was brought to shore, police say. An autopsy will be performed todetermine the cause of death.

Hurricane Earl landed in Lunenburg County as a Category 1 hurricane at about 11:30 a.m. AT, but weakened to a tropical storm as it moved inland, said CBC meteorologist Peter Coade.

Around the time of theaccident,winds were gusting at 100 km/h.

Earlbrought highwinds and heavy rain,knocking out power tomore than 200,000customersas it moved through the Maritimes.

Newfoundland next

And Earl isn't quite done yet. There is a tropical storm warning for the entire western coast of Newfoundland.

There are public wind warnings over the same area, as well as Ramea-Connaigre.

Sustained winds of 63 km/h or more are possible,according to the warning.

Maximum gusts of130 km/harepossible in theWreckhouse area, a region in southwestern Newfoundland known for extreme winds. Other areas can expect gusts of up to 100 km/h.

Heavy rains are also possible.

Environment Canada also said the potential for high waves and pounding surf exist along the south coast from Cape Ray to the Burin Peninsula, and along the west coast this evening as far north as Corner Brook.

Nova Scotia's south shoreexperienced waves Saturday afternoon of between 10 and 14 metres, Environment Canada said.

N.S. sees 135 km/h winds

The highest winds recorded in Nova Scotia were gusts of135 km/h. Gusts greater than120 km/h are considered hurricane strength.

Halifax was lashed with windgusts up to 109 km/h, leaving roads littered with fallen trees.

Emergency crews also responded to several electrical fires.

Power outages were reported all around Nova Scotia, from the southwest tip to Cape Breton. About 221,000 homes and businesses were without electricity as of5p.m. AT. Some homes may not have their power restored until Monday night.

The provincial Emergency Management Office urged Nova Scotians to remaininside during the storm and stay off the roads. Police saidvehicles were hydroplaning on a slick section of Highway 102 in the Halifax area.

"I'm asking all Nova Scotians to make safety a priority today," said Ramona Jennex, the minister responsible for the EMO.

The road to Peggys Cove was blocked to keep storm watchers away.

"We don't want people thinking they are going to go out and play in the waves and put themselves in harm's way," said RCMP Const. Meredith Darrah.

Highway 207 near Lawrencetown Beach, a popular spotfor surfing, was closed Saturday afternoon as water washed in toward the road.

Ferry service in Halifax wastemporarily suspendedand the Mackay Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles.

Bridge restrictions

The Confederation Bridge, which connects P.E.I. with New Brunswick, was closed to high-sided vehicles because of the strongwinds. It has sincereopened to all traffic.Northumberland Ferries cancelled all crossings between P.E.I. and northern Nova Scotia for the day.

The stormtracked more to the east than expected.

Strong winds and bursts of rain heralded the onslaught of Earl, starting in the Yarmouth area at about 6 a.m. AT.

"It'll calm down and then for 10 minutes it will just pour," said CBC reporter Blair Sanderson.

Coade said the heaviest rain usually falls to the left of the storm's centre, while the strongest winds are to the right.

Flights cancelled

In New Brunswick, Saint John was hit with sporadic rain andwind early Saturday, but the province was largely spared.

All flights out of the Saint John airport were cancelled until late afternoon. The first crossings of the day for the Grand Manan ferry were cancelled as well. In Moncton, all morning flights were cancelled.

While U.S. forecasters downgraded Earl to a tropical storm late Friday, the Canadian Hurricane Centre was still calling it a hurricane early Saturday.

Chris Fogarty, the Canadian centre's program manager, said it was a matter of "semantics," since the differencein wind speed according to the two hurricane centres was marginal. He saida buoy off Nova Scotia tallied hurricane wind speeds of 120 km/h late Saturday morning.