+ O/ @% z% q+ l0 _9 s! |* usouthwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado' D/ ]3 {( z9 D# @9 V
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: r0 u& W5 }1 J8 q7 ~4 [the southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage.% p5 l; T$ S. I% M2 j+ [: T
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*********************************************************** 9 _- l/ L/ u, o# T# e+ BResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado 6 w) D7 \# G) N/ ~by: PAUL CHOI ) }- H' r. I0 Y) F# }Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET * F) Q, r6 ?" Y O4 C( r- [2 L* i3 | + ~$ l0 x N2 H$ R! R 3 O! K% J, e- Q* [% J- kTORONTO (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.3 C4 J, w% l0 x
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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.3 \" j* M( w- d9 v
+ p6 h$ f* D/ M0 n/ lIt 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., ?# s4 ?* W2 b# y- 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." ' B3 J. V* L5 ~+ ^+ \. E' B, T! E4 ^+ N' y4 Y& g# n# u' 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.- }: h; M2 p. P1 M3 t5 \1 q7 N
+ L8 z& }) v* k1 v( n+ bElsewhere 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. ' t/ Q7 L( H3 ~ s7 E. v 1 u2 a% A2 v: s5 Z% x/ \! R3 _"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." 0 W+ H; r% C4 I$ D2 w) Q1 X : O% r: T L, I; w) G* FOn Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand. ) ], [7 F- u1 i1 D' S 2 J/ E! N2 m8 b i( \) N0 o& j; x2 fAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said., ~! h: a5 p' K
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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." & b8 d8 B) ? N: [8 G) \ 0 O! i! ]: C1 f+ K6 P! U7 U8 C5 GFergus 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 t e$ k4 J+ R' N% ]# v: K r; w# }& T- C9 \ B: jThey 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. ~" _$ D3 a2 E$ G; [7 u0 I. N- F
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"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"- |% @5 J- e! d+ O
/ {8 V$ o7 D' b/ ]6 o; C1 Y& GOfficials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes., P! Z" ?6 `4 w/ u: U0 Y
( m8 u3 j2 x$ h% N7 c: f$ ]7 X, Q1 @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. 5 \8 [2 ^3 W- I. S3 c/ E- r8 _+ }# p: Y; ^" k
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. 9 F4 g! E9 l- q. I$ L 2 Z3 z2 V% y: s"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. : R7 ]7 b# Q- N( @9 o ; O* d5 M9 v' `; v9 ^; M H8 C* XDue 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. $ i( t+ y( Z( |
: t# h0 n, D6 U) `% H; e) ]( g9 TThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. 2 E, {5 b$ t, c0 F4 E8 j, h
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Meanwhile 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. ) k. G, Z F4 C# z6 O- t
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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. ) [ Z0 o- C9 \
) s4 W5 e0 \4 U6 H" I' CBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 1 e1 ^0 ]. y6 Y# I: }" X; `
$ g) w3 J6 ?1 u, ]/ }3 x) b"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. ; e) H: w3 b. U" F [: ~9 |4 e: R3 Z" i. P9 j
"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. 1 L2 f8 E+ i7 t $ `3 E. c- s `7 {. O********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM