Storm Fiona: Justin Trudeau to visit areas devastated by the damage

Two people have died and one remains missing after Storm Fiona battered Canada's eastern coastline.

Officials said one died after being washed out to sea in Newfoundland, and the other died in Prince Edward Island.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will visit the devastated communities in the coming days.

Weather events of this force are rare in Canada, and police said the storm was "like nothing we've ever seen".

Parts of five provinces - Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec - experienced torrential rain and winds of up to 160km/h (100mph), with widespread flooding. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power.

The army has been deployed to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to assist the clean-up and restore the power grid. They will also be conducting wellness checks and help survey damage in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr Trudeau said the military and federal government will continue offering support for the weeks and months to come as communities look to rebuild from the storm's devastation.

The Canadian Red Cross has also set up a national fundraiser to assist, and the federal government will be matching donations for the next 30 days.

A 73-year-old woman died when the storm hit Port aux Basques, a small town on the southwest tip of Newfoundland that was one of the hardest hit areas.

"The woman was last seen inside [her] residence just moments before a wave struck the home, tearing away a portion of the basement," the police said. The coast guard and rescuers recovered her body from the sea on Sunday.

On Sunday, Prince Edward Island also reported a death in its community following the storm.

Few details have been released so far on that person's identity and the cause of death still needs to be determined, though officials said it may be related to generator use. Most of the island remained without power as of Monday.

Police have also suspended an air and water rescue search for an 81-year-old Nova Scotia man who was likely swept out to sea during the storm.

Over the weekend, a woman in Port aux Basques was rescued after being "tossed into the water as her home collapsed".

Port aux Basques Mayor Brian Button said the town is "like a complete war zone", and that damages were in the millions of dollars.

At least 76 homes in the community of 4,000 people were structurally damaged or completely destroyed by the storm.

Gudie Hutchings, Canada's minister of rural economic development and a member of parliament from Newfoundland, visited the province to survey the damage.

"Pictures do not portray the utter devastation in this area," Ms Hutchings said on Monday, adding it will take a long time before the community can rebuild and get back on its feet.

"We are resilient people, but I can tell you this has tested each and every one of us," she said.

She also urged residents not to return to their homes yet to retrieve belongings until a plan is put in place by officials for fear of further injury.

Power companies have warned that it could take days to restore electricity.

Severe hurricanes in Canada are rare, as storms normally lose their energy once they hit colder waters in the north and become post-tropical instead.

Fiona had already wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic earlier this week, with many still left without power or running water.

Florida also faces a hurricane threat as tropical storm Ian strengthened as it moved over the Caribbean on Saturday. It could approach Florida early next week as a major hurricane.