(CNN) — fiona storm hit the east coast of canada with hurricane-force winds and torrential rain Saturday, washing buildings into the ocean, collapsing homes, toppling trees and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of people.

Fiona first caused havoc in the caribbean like a hurricane before crossing the Atlantic and making landfall again as a post-tropical cyclone. The storm carved a path of destruction over Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland before weakening and moving out to sea on Sunday.

Now the authorities are beginning to report on the damage caused in the region.

Nova Scotia, where Fiona first made landfall in the early hours of Saturday morning, was hit hard by the storm. High winds downed trees and power lines, flooded roads, littered neighborhoods with debris and, in many cases, snapped utility poles in half, authorities said.

Authorities have made restoring power a priority after Fiona devastated power lines and communications networks across the province, Premier Tim Houston said Sunday morning.

“Clearing the roads, giving crews space to do what needs to be done, that’s the most important thing right now,” Houston said. “It will take time.”

One person in Newfoundland is believed to have died in the storm. Houston said there have not been many reports of serious injuries, although around 200 people are currently displaced from their homes.

“The damage is extensive, but right now the priority is to get people back to power, to get them to a safe haven, to get back to, you know, normalcy,” he said. “It will take time when we get out of this.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday that the government had approved Nova Scotia’s request for federal aid and that the Canadian Armed Forces would be deployed to help in the region. The prime minister said residents had experienced a “terrifying” 12-hour Saturday.

“People have seen their homes blown away, seen school roofs blown off,” Trudeau said. “And as Canadians, as we always do in difficult times, we will be there for each other.”

In Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, police shared footage of downed power lines on buildings, downed trees blocking roads and puncturing structures. The region’s utility, Maritime Electric, has expressed concern that people are walking and driving on streets where damage from downed power lines and live wires is extensive.

Power outages in Nova Scotia

Several provinces were affected by strong winds and rain, but none more so than Nova Scotia. As of early Monday morning, more than 284,400 customers were still without power in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, including more than 190,400 in Nova Scotia, according to Poweroutage.com.

Nearly three-quarters of Nova Scotia lost power as Fiona advanced, Houston said Saturday. Maximum wind gusts of 171 km/h (106 mph) were recorded in the provincial town of Arisaig on Saturday. Meanwhile, Wreckhouse in Newfoundland saw gusts of 105 mph (170 km/h).

Bad weather has hampered efforts to restore power, Nova Scotia Power President and CEO Peter Gregg said Saturday. More than 900 electrical technicians were on their way to the area, but some customers could experience power outages for several days, he said.

In Nova Scotia’s capital, Halifax, high winds uprooted trees and downed power lines, sending sparks flying and knocking out lights.

The roof of an apartment complex in Halifax has collapsed, forcing about 100 people to flee to shelter, Mayor Mike Savage told CNN on Saturday.

“The magnitude of this storm has been impressive,” Savage said later at a press conference on Saturday. “It turned out to be all that was planned.”

Osborne Head in Nova Scotia received 19.2 centimeters of rain and Crowe Brook in New Brunswick received 10.7 centimeters), among other heavy rainfall amounts in the provinces.

“Total War Zone”

In Newfoundland, video showed buildings floating on water and cars submerged in heavy rain. A woman has been rescued from the water after her house collapsed, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They took her to the hospital; the extent of his injuries were not immediately known, police said.

Port aux Basques, a city in the far southwest of Newfoundland, was also one of the hardest hit areas, Trudeau said Saturday.

“We are seeing devastating images coming out of Port aux Basques,” he said. “Obviously when we see images of houses falling overboard, of waves destroying property and buildings, our first thought must be for people.”

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police recovered on Sunday the body of a 73-year-old woman who had been thrown into the sea the day before in Port aux Basques.

“The woman was last seen inside the residence moments before a wave hit the house and destroyed part of the basement,” police said in a statement.

This is the first death attributed to Fiona in Canada. The storm claimed at least six other lives in its path: one in Guadalupe, three in Puerto Rico and two in the Dominican Republic.

First responders in Port aux Basques had to deal with multiple electrical fires, residential flooding and landslides.

“We have an all-out war zone here, we have destruction everywhere,” Port aux Basques Mayor Brian Button said in a video update, warning that more storm surges are expected.

Port aux Basques is now under a boil water order and many residents were still without power. Concrete barriers have also been installed around areas that the storm has turned into “danger zones”, the mayor said.

The Port aux Basques tide gauge recorded a maximum total water level of 2.73 meters (8.96 feet), surpassing its previous record of 2.71 meters (8.89 feet) set in 2017, according to the Canadian Center hurricanes.

CNN’s Derek Van Dam, Eric Levenson, Tina Burnside, Jason Hanna, Christina Maxouris, Hannah Sarisohn and Andy Rose contributed to this report.