5 C3 p' e; U; D1 u0 ~; _# Pthe southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage. 6 Y$ d) [$ R( s' `$ u) H, s+ H$ ^% M: o/ [# G Q6 _- f! U- f
! o% H L! i( G3 w8 D+ p9 k***********************************************************1 _% k9 f% O' m+ h/ g Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado $ g! m" T1 L! c7 v" f/ B& h
by: PAUL CHOI 7 z/ _ H* t9 K+ t1 s$ @
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET # d9 C+ r, P, _8 x! y * K' h |+ g) e2 H; m; \9 T/ `- r2 ~9 n8 O3 @
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. ' o- v1 E0 N! Z5 H3 _$ L8 z8 u% T6 ^3 A
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.$ k( o* f) |% P, e" W/ _3 A
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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.- v8 E5 ]" {5 b) k% r
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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.": c; l7 }/ ?. l- c* g. x* e
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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. 2 I7 o: `7 r* `; n7 H) _ : M* H+ c2 b+ @; q: IElsewhere 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. : g6 j2 _7 U, r, H: Y; A& |3 B% r: ` r. B/ v4 Y
"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." $ q/ ~: @* z" U( E8 f) L7 D3 y/ W. O4 D1 l0 F
On Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.6 j; a7 m( ^# S3 D* I
' x+ {4 c7 Z* l5 O# uAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said.) Q M' Q8 {. e/ ^" F
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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."7 l% I1 U8 U) m
( Z3 ~2 i% M+ |6 Y, m& v; T$ a2 M7 fFergus resident Klaus Doerig and his wife, Judy, were at home when the skies turned menacingly grey and tree limbs began flying past their window. 4 o7 L. f& m6 l5 l6 u6 S% u9 y k# a) M O1 R8 W/ j8 x- V
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.4 q# N8 c6 Z/ {6 N6 G2 _0 q' n
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"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" 0 k7 Y3 }3 `* n- k- V% L 4 b% f) ^+ Y! U& GOfficials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes. & b. D9 l6 a0 {1 U% w9 j* n0 J1 S" T S( m8 G/ w8 d
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.9 G' ~* X1 n3 v, {. F! `
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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.3 L* E; g/ G, S( z4 P# X9 Q
$ ]' K& ]- [% g" S! n3 n* }( G"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.. {* g o$ F: h5 ]( n2 M9 w& I- E
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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. - m: G' D: \ K# ~3 z
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The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. # w/ q* x/ v: T6 B! r1 P" J ; |# e$ t- i8 kMeanwhile 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 k1 g# c' ?# V( e ?: c 3 c+ f2 i5 k, A( w! @) GDuring 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. $ J7 Y7 ?/ u k( H" o7 `+ Z
5 J" ^& Q+ t' r {, M1 HBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 3 G: _* p1 M! Z& F' G
/ J. {0 B v4 G( S3 p* _"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. ; @4 y1 v6 {; o* d# \4 V' n& D* G
! R& b6 G) K, ]. u9 n- r0 b: 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.: ]# C8 D* b) X+ r