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thank you for the news, : `+ T$ b" R h9 I$ `" c) O5 W
i have some news from toronto too...+ [" m% n: T% N, P' ]- k$ J
[! A7 t' q, fsouthwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado h; z, R! G( ^: i! k. D% K) K1 ~
B) f) b; O# H+ ?6 @% `2 l' h, - h7 g" p/ k, i; X h0 D , P- ]- T- e9 \# lthe southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage. - m6 L8 `, ~. p4 i0 J4 o ! u; g8 A' I. x& u* }3 q7 g6 G M# [+ n. b
*********************************************************** # ?. P! J2 k5 k* H! O) SResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado 7 } S& |0 w* A$ g6 I% cby: PAUL CHOI 5 c- s7 \8 X8 o# v. K
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET8 J/ h Z. v6 y( c
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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.! w" f3 k5 b8 L* t
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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. $ t( X5 L1 B- K/ q; ]% o) d6 x) O0 D4 U' ^& ^) _) ~) j& |
It 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.+ h) i9 q; t8 B) F
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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.": e! q+ e0 Y$ _) d/ f( k/ Q1 a
0 S, Q L9 g& KA 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.+ v6 g, b5 e+ }1 ?6 ~/ K1 K
6 d, y; Y4 z4 ~& U3 j0 t+ OElsewhere 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.* n& \6 l" J& K, A
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"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." . N w( v" F, i9 j6 m e, m" l0 c) o; T) ^- D; W7 k1 q! vOn Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.+ d! c" l) u$ o4 u g* B6 ~
& u o( V: \# H) FAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said.6 }. k# W. ^# _$ Z
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"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." & W C& G* j: w* U5 S! \- X) J t% Q0 V) \0 AFergus resident Klaus Doerig and his wife, Judy, were at home when the skies turned menacingly grey and tree limbs began flying past their window. ! \+ v4 F' C+ ?1 _ 7 F% d% C6 ], |2 u `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. ; `1 R6 c$ a4 q/ V) b $ \8 a4 q# }6 D4 j. n) {$ m" ~"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" . t2 \: y* n% w1 m# f: H" o6 _ + T% C6 @4 }0 s0 r. C. ~. z0 ROfficials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes. O2 `9 V: K/ N% A
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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. 7 i: S% q% H9 D) L7 t: j; L : C7 `9 e" L9 C5 `8 s" f& cCoulson 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.' J' ~/ ~" O0 w0 D2 n
# @+ s+ u: Y) m4 [) y: v9 A" U0 O"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. ) U0 M5 u U1 e; ~! H3 Z* a 5 p/ T; G8 ]. x0 uDue 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. 7 x. D7 g, Z$ K $ c z) S6 W1 V3 oThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. ! `0 g; g( K1 D0 a 2 g& t1 ]. \5 r% `0 S; U F6 ~9 CMeanwhile 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. 7 Y- F6 R6 d+ Z! @" |3 B4 B: L $ E7 {+ y& k% I( [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. * l* C2 h7 w! [$ l% s2 M- A; g9 T; Z0 m2 R1 y9 c$ J' I
But flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. - U% ?* [$ x4 t- L+ Q# H5 R
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"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. $ |) W+ O: D f4 o2 w9 I ' b. j% B* ^$ x+ l; }; h: o! g"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. {, s# \& B% p( ~( t$ I