8 [( ~$ i5 d5 q9 y3 ] V8 h& g0 @the southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage. + q- O- R3 j m9 @6 J2 u% {7 n3 X" ~3 f u4 V _8 M
/ G) z$ H& e4 y. ?2 H*********************************************************** ! I; l1 v" E4 b1 |4 y6 `# l2 J# mResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado ( C% E8 Y, ?" P! ]
by: PAUL CHOI . P3 n, S! N! t( {; W3 eSat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET2 e5 A2 d P G3 `' W
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7 N+ m+ r' z( HTORONTO (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. / I+ l. ?' R' t l' ?' r1 _ z 6 N5 F7 \' g b2 ?8 TThe 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.2 I B0 E6 {# ~- e
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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.) i* K; K8 p5 \* V% I# 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/ i3 g, j) h& [3 G& o6 V' ^6 f
( }# O2 V; p" B( j* E& mA 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. 5 U! w% Z# N( M1 O+ k# P1 p! a2 V4 r- k8 D
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. % L2 P2 S5 f$ \8 X 2 a8 ^( r* U" N. A* A- m. B"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."- R5 e9 K6 k# }% w5 _
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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.; [* D2 O) S5 h7 n! a
6 G6 _. `; l# ~2 ?) S) Y% tAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. M3 {: E% v& V! _1 |8 H; g' J6 s7 t& {9 v
"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." 8 P1 u- Y' R/ F' O' o; x7 i# H* k# |: l _/ z
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.; V/ V' x; ?% _' b( E
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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. ( k: y! U+ W0 g% N0 l7 L- ?2 X1 d B' Q( K' d4 f. [% h$ d& M"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"0 R2 R, `7 K6 B2 Y
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Officials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes.! D8 i; h/ t/ l# j
5 y" X+ C: J/ m6 Z0 @! H7 W8 }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.! y, e1 t7 a/ O
x; P) N5 Y6 Y- B3 aCoulson 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.( H V. D( b1 d
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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. & j2 R# v+ `: O0 U7 X7 x( }2 O6 ^2 F, M3 J
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. . }1 ]/ q# C3 A, a5 ]* W+ k5 I5 c7 y, h
The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. 2 S$ |2 P$ H, Q+ X! {+ a
9 t5 \7 [8 f* o$ C. h7 N, A$ oMeanwhile 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 r' Z1 @: ~2 K$ v7 V. P5 s) j
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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. 1 E! V" N/ Y/ i, s; ?+ G
% j3 {! I! b( e# z1 vBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 9 a( [0 M" y- Y
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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. 9 U3 G7 D4 A( A) |/ G ( b: J' B9 u. |: B' 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. - }% c* t/ r# j. u6 U5 L 9 X6 [$ _0 w7 M, p+ Z% b& P$ \********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM