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thank you for the news, - O' z- M: M8 z2 ?
i have some news from toronto too...2 f) Q% v# A2 m Z5 o5 {3 N7 T, P
, \: U* o8 @* ^- @# Rsouthwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado2 U, W2 b- D- b( O8 Y; r
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, ! ]; n1 W' d: [: T2 Y6 n % U l4 r5 l- T$ C4 ]: Q5 H$ E" Xthe southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage., g7 i3 v k. Y3 a" C4 u% G2 d
- F9 p! z _: o& }/ e* s& H) C" A ) V0 G. X' }" L0 I5 W- `*********************************************************** + Q1 {% V! P1 H1 W' bResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado , M6 f: t+ ]1 c/ B3 kby: PAUL CHOI 7 U2 ?; E# d1 V2 Z: a5 W0 x. T
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET* S4 b2 \$ O4 `- E% E& @7 A
% i4 d& ` A$ d 9 e5 K3 y. z3 v5 Z( ?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. * V! `: A- h6 a! L' K1 N/ k A, s- y; B o2 V+ @
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. 1 g u5 J/ x. |3 S& e) _ ) y, L, m2 g% m( i% {% r1 t3 m: RIt 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. & \) M0 J! {& N3 b# } # m, G8 P; [6 `# }"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." * J( }1 ^$ @3 U* d+ @% Y" y; R! V3 ?8 @2 P% y- N) O
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.3 T- m! ^7 H, u3 Q: i7 ^. Z
4 J6 w2 |; e" x) g+ ~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. , f: E/ r4 r; \! M% E$ ~; Y, m, V( _$ L6 U! \+ M z |7 c; J
"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."- b8 o4 m$ Z; `" ^
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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.0 _/ r' I) [2 S" R* O
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Amidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. % Y8 ` |/ C) ]2 f/ T& M 8 n$ }% l. H, H- h"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." 6 k+ w" @7 E. \5 w6 y5 `- H' T( |3 F b& ~' E. n% Z( b0 _( P0 d: Q6 G! w
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." I* q* I0 f+ `6 \( D' O
; d; p# L' [8 b; n l: a! B; uThey 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. ' i* o8 Q8 H! B& q! b% u- }& r3 o
"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" : J: a6 k/ \* X& a* r6 x, u# h) I6 V$ Z! I( e$ `
Officials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes. 3 [9 a9 h$ P: C6 n+ \5 _! y z$ p* t2 D X$ J3 L) U5 z
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.% p3 S7 q R, M7 ]4 ^! q3 C9 v7 \
9 J; `9 d9 e0 ?% _* S5 PCoulson 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.6 O3 F/ f9 i R5 F9 L
1 D8 b; X( }! j1 @" ^$ G# X"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.# B+ ^* p1 x6 x, j8 d& a) h
- j& [* [; \; ZDue 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. # S+ m. |/ s3 S" r3 f* C7 X) o- y/ r% f; ?' k( K9 M6 b; p9 C( a
The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. & |( }; o/ i9 ~
/ b M# }7 U# O' }8 p0 nMeanwhile 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. ; n! K! P& R0 d! |" I* J7 n; p! ]1 s& H( b: D# i9 V
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. % }7 V! K5 \ ?/ Z% @% |5 R ' r6 a4 `# D1 `' uBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. ; j J, n- Z1 x. I. \+ i9 c |5 c/ D* R6 v% |1 W6 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. + k3 r4 V4 r/ y1 J2 T ; X9 H& |& X8 ^" E6 z- R# Q"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. 6 f2 d) d- A+ d . w6 X, k, E1 P! X! d7 W1 L. N8 W********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM