% R7 N, p3 E( G8 E7 i! X& ]southwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado% P$ U! E$ ~4 ~2 R2 h
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the southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage. * O0 J' b( \# u a! @) b4 a; [, I% I
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***********************************************************; {: G- g4 w5 a$ `: z$ D# O# y Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado 3 d+ q+ M5 r" @( m7 H! B7 i% k
by: PAUL CHOI 0 x: k7 {$ b0 A5 y+ cSat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET+ O Y# Y6 m# |$ X$ e
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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.2 [8 D' D" v. t' z8 o" L
( e) p( `7 ?; ~ z. s1 kThe 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. 8 G7 ]' e' g4 g2 f3 V+ T: V - w/ L! G6 h# [8 bIt 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.6 b3 ~) c; c0 ~# ?2 h( M1 T( o) J2 z" e
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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." & g- ~& U5 m0 K5 ^% f5 [4 S# C n7 R x( p" p
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. " p% J# a O! J # v U2 ]$ f' f( 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.' y4 y# O6 Y, }0 M: h
' H4 d5 d, t y4 R' F. ^( T6 m) |"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."5 p! U M2 m; J9 l4 q
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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. 6 D; b" f, c1 ]8 f1 f! B5 M7 a( V7 i; S8 G8 l4 j
Amidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. 0 b4 _0 P! V, F0 k0 N 6 p% H# j) B: V$ p"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 t, e' h$ q8 R) ^: [ % {( S6 q* Z) ~0 pFergus 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 D3 `2 S3 @" h }
+ w' f& @+ f: t5 z) ~$ OThey 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. 0 I) k* ~/ U( n$ }9 ? $ j# f- |9 p' s& q"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"3 D( A( `* l x
/ E/ o( Z k$ }( Y: S, P" y1 E4 VOfficials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes. # i' n/ P( m. k# i& w6 G , T9 Q- e" T3 @; ^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. % s: r# V8 [5 V# E5 ?* p2 T. P' R3 f0 M3 L O: p
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. ) j1 H% v& b+ L9 T- l& S& y9 \5 f5 V8 p1 ~6 `
"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. - w# g- N# X7 h& m3 x+ Y( j- ]" f' _6 A) v
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. 2 U. w6 N; g6 ^/ x6 f4 ~6 D1 @
- z0 C9 a3 N( BThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. " I6 b1 h$ H2 j2 V5 p
. D$ {+ w: l' r$ C7 rMeanwhile 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. [3 l: {( g' b7 c
8 P6 C; T! F! W: O0 `/ p. WDuring 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. ; G8 ~' n6 |4 l$ _0 p2 j3 x' w
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But flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. . W! X* d: k; _2 d3 [/ n$ K; {1 ~3 j0 j: K" e2 Y0 o
"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. # L/ N) S- y& l L5 D" N* f9 ?9 C9 s9 {& a# o$ v' m
"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. # Y3 _& I* u7 k9 n: f7 g3 p 4 n3 u' W# \9 \********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM