% C+ [+ x2 J q7 t( m) Wsouthwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado7 Q" r7 a0 x0 x. A: R" Y0 l) b6 W6 {) T
: z/ U8 n. n7 l% E- j
,6 H% b, Y& p u9 ~. T2 f2 w+ ?
) q2 @( s. S% ^, V2 Q2 Kthe southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage. * O l$ r% p2 ~$ V# L l- I4 I; J, r0 V8 g1 b& c' e
; v4 Q( {& G1 Z; x6 g4 x' q0 n
*********************************************************** . ~7 ]# ?' w5 N) b3 KResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado : k. y- u0 }. ~% i+ ~' H4 ~; uby: PAUL CHOI 1 t P. f$ g( X( l h- n
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET - I0 r4 Y0 w! S, ~0 T* C. }* a6 P# O2 s
; q+ _9 d% p3 DTORONTO (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.$ @: D: |" i+ J$ Y4 J% v2 ~
$ L9 t, n" }2 ^( d8 a0 z
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.: z* A2 g4 w. Y) q
$ C" j' m7 e+ @" M$ }% ^
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.. c5 [" u0 D8 G/ M0 n! i1 X
9 }) Q1 Y: d; q2 T7 ~
"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." 6 o0 E5 f8 S2 [ 5 {# f. G8 W6 \. vA 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 e. U: _$ F# G& N! e" e2 A, n4 i+ \* t# i# W
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.- ]5 I, M2 s* t9 b; m3 t$ p) L+ S
2 u# G6 T. A& Z, C t
"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." ) \; E, U" o! a* v ; I$ t4 F' `' c: f- H, M$ |& M) GOn Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.; g/ z! u$ \* i' `4 b# [
, W' A# R2 e9 [7 H# g
Amidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. ; o4 c, g0 z _! H+ Z% r. H' T # k: ^+ R4 B8 ~4 \& Z; Z2 C"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.". l& j6 F: x5 t( c& n7 b+ s
( Z6 _! x+ g$ c% o0 w! W# n% ]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.; {4 e! K7 ~8 ]! e+ Q* e; ^& G+ `# I
. {3 J1 s9 l3 C
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.: t/ h' @" ^) K+ x) k
7 H) ]1 w1 l9 f$ q8 A
"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" % w. r6 C! \: I9 F, q) ~5 t8 h3 @0 K% E) ?, X6 n; a
Officials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes./ o1 w6 x& _4 p2 c' E
) p3 a6 n, O3 s' h$ |. OAided 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. $ O/ M4 i- a% W1 ~6 }1 G 7 M6 b$ ~, q* i$ E q+ |% OCoulson 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.# s- T* V" o9 J" K( Q
# J$ |& o. i0 }, Z' ~. r
"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.) a5 D/ ]) q6 W, K# g( X
9 F8 W/ `0 e% S$ y7 S: l. |$ m
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. 0 G# F. ?# r. f: y! i) X: _+ m
5 v. c7 c$ S- F& F* N( [' N6 Y' M7 p
The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. - b4 {+ _ [7 V* h4 \
7 ] @$ Y0 c) t
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. ) g7 ~0 p' T7 ~" l
: O( J' Z+ F% H+ [6 N. ~
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. ! V8 M6 [3 ]* k # e& ?$ R Q; nBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. ' z4 S! d. x4 m1 Z+ N1 |, _/ q( [' p" V: e5 Q/ f
"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. 3 {, n/ C- i/ p% r. e' d9 s
) ~0 B8 }( L) G- l g6 P7 L7 a
"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. ' [* ~" K) t. i! p3 S0 O8 f) o5 P! o5 n
********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM