' B7 q: i: x, K/ jthe southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage. 3 j7 l; Q/ h: H2 J , V) M H' |9 s$ M' r# u. b ) `% U$ U- u* r, k/ a* W1 J" K***********************************************************2 d' D0 z) t; f8 Y$ ` Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado " Y$ v$ z5 u) C/ o6 Z0 b% qby: PAUL CHOI " g3 P" r! E0 R* A/ T3 V& V; L2 J
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET , G Q6 L" l, [: l' G5 O% m4 o6 B0 D
6 f5 @+ A- t7 Y; l, aTORONTO (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.% \& u, s( {/ c' G) ]# h
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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. . I; g5 A: y! H- J% ^+ j$ r: B' I, N R. C
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.( O4 I! P) g2 \
) x4 V( v' u% w: W- O& i( X"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: L) S6 l0 Q& V" j4 g. L) O
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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. # S o$ M3 G" y8 n5 x$ c8 l6 e# y2 k
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.% x; K1 g8 u1 x- M* I
$ W: ?. A) \& x. _ K"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."( d5 D- w# Z4 g+ m# H
8 h) Q7 O" l" k5 r4 q) |" ^& KOn Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand. & Z. E% d( G! X' w9 e$ E0 N- M& q4 }& z, F. k2 O
Amidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said.* R+ b6 X. V' s+ Q9 G
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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." 9 }' o @5 f( _, U. R( ^0 H' x. Z( s* f4 I8 F7 ~$ _
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. - q6 P+ Y5 d! I9 x$ U , {2 A; I \5 KThey 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. 9 g. c, A$ L8 A+ N! l7 @% i( Q$ H! J8 q3 c r) e2 _
"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" 7 T. y4 V0 \! J) H; k$ A1 y1 I9 d6 ?
Officials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes. 9 o* y" b( ^* A. A! A" T . a _# z$ D: W0 s! KAided 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. 3 K5 ~$ L! _) {7 q' s, i. [) W0 G8 B
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." a6 C1 T9 r7 v9 y; w2 ~% [
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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. 2 W) Z2 W1 E( k6 W8 G% y * A4 }& D5 H9 \! |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 F# L5 X2 f0 Y {' u& S( v. @1 o! C |# N! n v, ^0 O6 O
The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. 1 i! P8 A" w" d5 D+ h# i7 M4 t" U" I" {
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. 4 K( r9 v0 b1 O+ F8 ?3 }- h( e0 O. S( q, L$ M7 I+ e
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. 6 Q' F* Z: X3 f# }, N $ _: |- [) m- Q' JBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 5 u* D3 P0 G6 V4 m3 m. G" v4 @3 e5 M0 o9 s1 \$ C
"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. - E7 \+ ]! v$ C- w r% u5 F. t* J( I' T, ] C s9 X8 v Y' {0 `
"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.0 `2 U& m: V( _: |. ?; g2 F( ^
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********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM