Blizzard rips roof off in Rankin Inlet, cuts power in Arviat
CBC
Several Nunavut hamlets have been hit by high winds today, blowing off a roof in one and cutting power in another.
Communities in the Kivalliq region were hit the hardest by the blizzard, with offices and schools closed across the region.
Winds gusted to 100 kilometres in Arviat and Rankin Inlet on Wednesday, according to Environment Canada.
Luke Webb, a guard at the Rankin Inlet RCMP detachment, had to head out in the blizzard to get to work today.
He says he walked through 100-kilometre winds.
"It pushes you forward and then you take like five steps forward and then next thing you know you're on your knees," Webb said.
Although he's experienced many blizzards over his seven years living in the community, Webb said he hasn't experienced anything like this one.
"I don't think I've been in a windier blizzard than this," he said.
He said he also noticed a piece of roofing had been blown off a building near the community's middle school, but couldn't quite tell exactly where it had come from.
"I can't see the school from above, but it looks like it came off [the middle school]," he said.
"It just looked like the roof came off all in one big sheet."
Flights were also cancelled across the region today.
The wind knocked out power overnight for customers in nearby Arviat, leaving many with no heat.
According to the Qulliq Energy Corporation (QEC), as of approximately 1 p.m. ET, a small number of customers in Arviat were without power between the airport and the centre of town. QEC did not know the exact number of residents affected but estimated about 15-20. The corporation said a damaged power line is to blame but that repairing the issue is unsafe for crews until the blizzard subsides.
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