0 N; {' Z& v9 c8 x8 |southwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado+ a/ w' I/ W& {8 z! N" ]; W
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the southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage.- I4 M3 T# I* B9 L O. W6 h
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*********************************************************** 9 }. D* p: ^1 l. {3 Z# VResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado / x! p p# `2 r% G2 C; s8 zby: PAUL CHOI / E9 A! s- c" d- QSat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET7 g# w( D3 R1 p6 V; j1 ]6 b+ F& y
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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. ( }) X0 A {& U- s {- D& y( y# T5 b+ {% q" s, J0 b; S
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.( l7 P0 o! g( ?
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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. 5 d) Q( ?6 @7 P' O1 j' w& q) u- A2 K" Q8 k4 l' Z/ o
"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."+ ^" h+ l V) g! Z
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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. ' Y2 \, S* g1 a( ~/ _/ ~- E" u [9 U) c
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.( ?$ l m, a) ~4 I) Z
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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; u0 f b ^$ B
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On Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.: f, `5 J2 f! q& {' n r) }3 f* d! `
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Amidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. 5 V# ?% g3 {) F& v* ]$ {! J0 |1 r2 `) M
"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." * i) `4 Z7 t' k O2 W! o $ x8 P& W6 {3 mFergus resident Klaus Doerig and his wife, Judy, were at home when the skies turned menacingly grey and tree limbs began flying past their window.7 I7 i+ w o5 U7 j; }
9 {6 f9 k) k8 w9 w, _4 {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.( c' X$ U; z$ o0 ` g" Q
: o# @ t l- c"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" ' c/ Y7 K( \" m! p8 X ? X& x c8 s4 t1 K, l5 u) {1 |0 ]
Officials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes. ; c" z# a: T+ j/ U; j 5 O' J! a9 N; R! _& K- R7 o7 @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.6 j" `# i! H' s3 v3 p( `3 Z
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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.7 _- E0 [* S! x2 j6 y% Z
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"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.1 l. p9 q" ]) B
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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 R8 `/ d4 V# O' W5 ? ' x! e1 {: m, o; }( E5 {6 p. N3 ^The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. $ G" M" f( T5 @/ `# {
$ ~5 n3 d, ], v- p/ Z6 b" w7 a7 [1 r+ vMeanwhile 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. ' o& h5 h$ |0 B' E4 [$ w1 s5 P
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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. , H+ ~8 n# u' C1 f% I
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But flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 4 A {- O* j: U5 j9 f% P; G6 r& ~6 s
"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. P; T% }& `: m. S4 E
2 @6 w5 Q5 F; X"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. 4 w# S, J8 T H1 p 2 r2 L. h2 _: ]********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM