'Our road to recovery will be weeks or longer,' P.E.I. premier tells Fiona briefing

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King and Tanya Mullally of the province's Emergency Measures Organization said an assessment of what King called "devastating" damage from Hurricane Fiona will start as soon as it is safe for work crews to go out.

Islanders shouldn't expect everything to spring back to normal quickly, however. 

"Our road to recovery will be weeks or longer," the premier warned, since the damage was perhaps "the worst we've ever seen" from a tropical storm system. 

"It will be an all-hands-on-deck approach," he said of the assessment and recovery process. 

Provincial officials have heard of no significant physical injuries from the storm that began late Friday night, King said.

"We should be grateful for that," he said, but added: "We certainly know that many people have lost their homes and business, so we know the emotional and mental health damage that causes." 

Both King and Mullally urged people to refrain from going out in vehicles to look at storm damage on Saturday.

"I will actually plead with Islanders," King said. "The best way for you to help… is to stay at home and stay safe."

Damage is expected to be major, especially in low-lying communities and neighbourhoods near the coasts.

"Storm surge was very significant, especially on the North Shore... We will have a better picture as the water recedes," Mullally said. 

She said that as soon as it is safe for people to be on the roads, communities across the province will open reception centres to provide "a warm meal, some reassurance, some information and something to plug their phone into." 

And speaking of phones, Mullally said cell service providers are asking that people communicate by texting rather than through voice calls or apps to cut down on disruption related to overloaded networks as Islanders reach out to make sure their relatives and friends are safe.

Minister of Justice and Public Safety Darlene Compton also took part in the briefing, saying she had been in touch with her federal counterpart, Bill Blair, as the storm passed over the province.

King said there's no thought yet of asking the federal government to send in the military to help in the cleanup, but he spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday and said: "The federal government is prepared to support us with urgency."