The hurricane center said at least person was killed in the Halifax area. CNN reported a second death -- a paramedic killed when a falling tree crushed his ambulance.

"Juan moved through the Halifax area shortly after midnight (0300 GMT). At least one fatality was reported. Some buildings suffered structural damage. There were widespread power outages and numerous fallen tree limbs," the center said in a statement.

Wind gusts to 143 kilometers (89 miles) an hour were reported at Halifax International Airport at the height of the storm, the statement said.

By 0900 GMT Juan had been downgraded to a tropical storm and was located well to the north, about 165 kilometers (102 miles) east-southeast of Gaspe, in the province of Quebec.

In Halifax, authorities were waiting for daylight to judge the extent of damage caused by the storm, and urged people to stay home due to the danger of falling tree limbs.

"There was one apartment complex that did partially collapse," Halifax mayor Peter Kelly told CNN. "Several hundred people are in shelters."

A state of emergency was declared Sunday in the province of Nova Scotia. Several thousand residents of the Atlantic coastal region were evacuated as a precaution, and all flights in and out of the city were cancelled.

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