" G1 n3 i1 t9 R0 v% rsouthwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado ; i& z8 ]: X- D, I : W9 q" ~- u( V S,& `1 z/ T9 H. i# Q
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the southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage.6 Z. c# G. \! `8 Q
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2 r# I1 S* A( N+ {' _*********************************************************** ; x: K. |+ Q/ W, {$ }Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado ! R/ s- B4 s6 {/ ?" ?
by: PAUL CHOI % i' o7 j( I3 u; S* r% B. vSat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET4 M% |4 m- u2 K+ l- g1 ?4 X
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TORONTO (CP) - Residents of southwestern Ontario were picking up the pieces Saturday, and in some cases waiting for the power to be turned on, after a tornado touched down during a stampede of fierce storms a day earlier. - z' ^% I/ ]( h, f% [9 X# \0 Z+ v% a6 E3 p& R7 q& X6 i2 M
The severe weather, which developed due to humid and unstable air, began in Milverton, Ont., Friday afternoon and quickly gained steam as it moved east towards Fergus, a community near Conestoga Lake. ; ?) a5 h4 p& n; X , c: g6 J1 k6 ~) O2 f5 g5 k5 CIt was here, officials said, where the storm spawned a full-fledged twister close to 300 metres wide that chewed off tree limbs, downed power lines, tossed cars into ditches, and ripped into several homes and barns.3 Y) U7 ]) V4 i( w- J; ]: m
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"We've confirmed at this location a Fujita scale F2 tornado occurred, with winds between 180 to 240 kilometres an hour," said Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson on Saturday. "That's confirmed with the damage that we've witnessed."0 C# B/ y# |7 B1 w6 X1 C
- ^- h' m; c2 _1 t; P$ N! r4 ?6 T0 MA two-storey home in the area had its roof torn clean off and a barn behind the home was levelled to its foundation, Coulson said, all damage consistent with a severe tornado.4 S! `. d+ J. |
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Elsewhere on a nearby highway, a wooden plank was driven into the windshield of a vehicle, another sign of extensive impact damage typically associated with a twister.2 z0 B2 W8 [& Q. g
* Z. O6 m0 m( b) i) q, y3 W"A tell-tale sign it was tornadic as opposed to just strong winds was the fact there's (mud) splatter on more than one side of a house," he said. "If it had been one wind gust there would be one side with the splatter." / f! V. U9 ^3 i3 w' O" Z6 ~9 { T, M$ H* m1 s
On Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.+ l! T3 @1 \/ F. o# `
( g1 w7 S! G: W: [9 W: `, e+ F y) j- MAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. , w! T1 J! S9 Z, Z5 D+ y 4 f6 w4 |, s- q1 |"That's pretty amazing given the damage we're seeing here," Coulson said. "(Many) did exactly the right thing. They got into the basement and waited the storm out down there." 5 O8 ]% o4 b# P4 V# R" f. }% V+ X, Q% W p1 t6 Z) ^0 C4 h- ^
Fergus resident Klaus Doerig and his wife, Judy, were at home when the skies turned menacingly grey and tree limbs began flying past their window. + ^$ i8 q: G h$ F# t b3 J8 B4 \& \ d1 G# o$ p$ w/ y7 L
They hunkered down in the furnace room and emerged to find the roof of their home had been partially ripped off and a wall was destroyed.& k9 ^2 C, q- l2 s5 Q; ] x( i* l
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"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" - {1 E5 L$ O& ?* `4 X! p7 M, V! x ) V! A7 |* Q8 f9 ]; Q' }& e2 q SOfficials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes.8 {; m0 D# X1 g# Z9 ~
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Aided by an Ontario Provincial Police helicopter, Environment Canada investigators conducted full aerial surveys of the Milverton area, where the storm began, and areas further east.. e1 l4 I5 h* p$ g- D: i
4 a" \4 K& X, `Coulson said officials reported what appeared to be a one-kilometre wide swath of tree damage near Conestoga Lake. They were looking into whether it was the work of a twister.4 x4 V) q1 w% U0 U; p# [+ ~; G
+ X/ |; Z( l8 U9 [8 w/ ~. q"The big thing for us is going to be to try to link up these different reports to see if it was in fact one long-lived tornado on the ground or a series of tornadoes," he said.! i( }* G( ^# a' L4 Y) \/ H# g
5 V& Q, Z8 x, X# b {8 I* e: iDue to the storm, nearly 4,400 people were left without power in Fergus and its surrounding areas on Saturday, said Hydro One spokeswoman Kathleen Welsh. : ]/ g, ~6 K% _4 a2 i+ O
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The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. ; {8 T3 x x3 M; l) m% J2 O! K8 r4 j- i% i( T$ k0 [2 c2 `, Q! E
Meanwhile in Toronto, crews were cleaning up from the localized flash flooding that had paralyzed much of the city's main roadways and transit routes, drowning vehicles and leaving motorists knee-deep in water. In one extreme case, flood waters managed to wash away an entire section of road. 1 ?( F1 E5 z B8 [7 f
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During the height of the storm, around the time of the afternoon commute home, officials say the city received over 1,700 calls to emergency services. 9 E3 ]3 J- X; u ) d0 o& x2 E; Z5 R, nBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 9 r- s+ W7 P$ x/ V! H* H 7 B2 T4 ^/ l5 Z) z4 [' i1 v"The city's emergency services and the staff that manage our water, transportation, hydro and forests did a fantastic job of keeping the public safe and protecting the assets of the city," said Toronto Mayor David Miller in a statement. ( Q9 e m4 y( }8 e- _6 } m; G0 G& Y: e! ~! J& ^6 K _& A5 l
"Emergency services personnel were involved in a number of rescues, evacuations and emergency pumping operations and their work prevented serious injuries or death," he said. : [0 d: x$ b+ ^0 F, G% d/ L' d T8 P( J( i2 P
********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM