7 `8 |( l$ c; ` c$ S1 D***********************************************************: _1 n# x: y8 J; _! Y j# C7 t Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado $ x# k8 |' k, r0 r1 R2 x5 c9 r
by: PAUL CHOI / e1 |5 |6 A9 [* p+ R* iSat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET9 g* C, _) {( S# h, s. t3 H
# n% W! [9 U4 [: ~
) n% K2 H6 N, K. p; f7 N/ Q0 k
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.5 O1 C# Z+ Y! ?
, \: L# B, D) p$ n5 [" d r7 d2 @$ A- BThe 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." ~5 k/ Z/ \' U; W# @- i
8 c1 I, r4 y1 J4 SIt 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.; G. B; ]5 k8 b6 z5 l1 P( I8 U7 `
2 W0 i y) V. S"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."6 W$ {5 ^' w4 y& z2 S5 @
# ~8 K- i( H& a- @; `' s
A 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.2 s C; p. E) K& O4 H
* N! r6 b% C+ w3 I% @( MElsewhere 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.4 _' r" H8 J1 ^, F5 F1 U, l
1 v }0 V! Q! j1 L2 q3 a
"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." m: O8 ]+ c4 v: E+ k+ c
0 q- @) R) F8 L7 e
On Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.3 }9 ?3 r% h; `# c. ?
7 A4 e& C/ K+ m% p) Z0 K! x6 R
Amidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. s/ D8 n) y* Y9 @5 m
2 {/ ~& H% ]8 `" ?7 w7 L! ~
"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." 1 |! `' ~4 {- R; H4 q, W7 E. Z) e; \" ~( T" R/ U) M
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. 5 P; F5 o( @- N4 |. c% Y9 `/ {( O7 `( V, o
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.+ s. o# C2 l1 \6 [3 B& t
1 X: R- o! j# u9 S- O9 c. F; @"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" - G+ O$ L, n( q6 V! w- E5 Z 3 ] A( _8 |- h/ [0 nOfficials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes. " Q/ R+ W* N* g) s6 S5 w7 ^( F: g" i* {* c2 M( o) w4 G# O/ A3 m
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. 3 t( z7 z" C. l, \* c* X2 m, S' q 0 Y3 @6 ?8 X9 {; J" dCoulson 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. 0 V$ r0 u" ?, ^ N" F" p9 ]9 W# G B: R9 v; y p"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. ; W6 g( a0 w# U0 O* B+ n2 ^) v! [* k' c
Due 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. 3 U& H( D8 J5 [+ F( d 7 V+ _# b/ N( t3 J$ u$ kThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. - ^$ T3 N# i4 r5 D k/ p( P* E! P . S4 v& F L4 h( }# iMeanwhile 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. 0 ?1 W! ~( r* k
) G9 k9 q0 z% d: o2 ?! CDuring 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. / j* _' ~% j+ K) E: t) G1 i g
9 ?/ s+ ~5 U# H$ f+ n. o9 m8 |! C
But flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 2 @! S; M4 R _# { ) n0 @+ w% b( a"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. 7 M' t0 h, q& c: j7 U+ D! E5 E% g! x: i5 a) T: q8 n0 h
"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. : z) @. G- {. @; \' w1 Y) P; L; e7 K# Q4 H4 @
********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM