. n+ }# }. L8 c8 K4 o% h***********************************************************7 ~7 |! S/ K5 `& i( M# ?4 j Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado " n" v+ Q+ l% C$ P0 x( Kby: PAUL CHOI : ]" I# V; \/ e0 Q- I' _! y& R
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET" l* a& n7 p* r, k; K
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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.1 h( Z8 {) E! `/ R% m
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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.* w+ Z: A( n# C+ X/ C8 g, ?% r. K
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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.: c, |8 V8 @2 W$ D) N! a: w
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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." 9 l2 s! }- p# R7 O4 Y$ I$ V5 O9 l 2 l/ Q3 e: b6 O. G3 p ZA 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. 9 h! P8 Y0 X1 F# t" y5 o3 Z% E 8 ?$ h1 [$ H% M, qElsewhere 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. ; V" k4 o5 n0 W( `, i1 `. o% d( `. h/ G2 q' }3 G2 B5 f2 R" _) p5 D
"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."" Z( Y' j; J) q: Q8 A5 i3 d
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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. 5 D9 H. [3 P3 n7 k# O( `4 d ~# j9 G ( Q; b+ E( F a8 Y, GAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. 2 U' ^/ C) H' O# E1 G ; u7 s6 [6 [" |"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."2 t1 e: C) [+ Y- V' q. v2 Y d
: i3 J9 Q0 P* dFergus resident Klaus Doerig and his wife, Judy, were at home when the skies turned menacingly grey and tree limbs began flying past their window. 0 H+ d {2 z r$ { ]; F/ C1 Q9 L7 s
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. ( V0 R0 ]2 o. r: F + u! Y+ G G" c# m"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" ' A- v" G5 p3 i+ B# f n: {* }% |; I8 \8 J
Officials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes., u* }0 h6 m: a% Z1 I7 i
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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.& Z% W* G8 Q) w" o- d
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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 w$ T" C; m- j3 T/ j
' g9 w& l7 a6 y5 T" W8 N) l"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.& X: Z' V* E* ~$ Z& v$ s
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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. - J; Z! [" X, z* ]
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The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. ( U1 |( R0 Z( e* [! I" x& {% |
! ~' E. M7 F6 WMeanwhile 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. # J$ Y- P9 \2 a' O$ \0 \ ! L( i2 E; ?( a8 W0 s4 ~ k& ~) TDuring 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. ) B! _) {5 L" ?
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But flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 1 s0 @% D9 i' Q. x5 c # u+ R3 i, E1 s"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. 1 h3 j% O N7 G# c/ s" z; S+ d5 S* Z r" r0 `/ }0 W
"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. $ |6 R& W1 S1 O% m: _- P' ?3 ~$ H" t" ]$ N* t
********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM