2 |, j1 Y% u& N " @) u& c) T5 k- ?% e# V0 D $ X) k7 i' S( X2 z, {thank you for the news, & a/ \5 i% {. M# f" z/ Fi have some news from toronto too...9 a7 {! N7 G# x# P4 ]. d
& t2 h% D( i" U- \the southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage.8 I! J5 H/ u; I
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4 S- P5 ~0 p) q***********************************************************# n p% ?3 |: ?% z Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado & A2 b# _7 R( y" K0 u" h
by: PAUL CHOI ( a( ]8 A% L; x5 C7 D% p
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET: N: A z0 G) W$ Q0 w& T7 W
! U: h. H0 O. b5 N* @2 w1 B / `. H1 B5 o0 o4 c' i6 \0 r# KTORONTO (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.& G% Z( p& ^9 B& _
% w c ]/ E9 S) ?+ Z+ CThe 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.+ ~( g9 _" ]! S/ p
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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." l: f" o' j2 u2 B t
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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." 5 `5 x3 m8 V) V ) I! V4 ^: s T5 HA 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. " W) D) Q7 O! b+ k0 M0 T. [9 ~$ w& q, v4 `# x9 l' @
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. & h! P- K$ i- f9 J# |; E6 }) K, S' }+ x$ }! 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." & G9 R7 d( W0 z+ D- u , Q1 \0 O7 M; E7 dOn Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.* i* F- c7 A1 t- Y. |+ C
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Amidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. 1 M- u+ W2 U; }" r0 p7 Q 6 E7 e2 g' `, y6 i6 o0 o3 Z"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.", x, z+ i4 T4 s7 L3 T" G
# \! c9 R, A3 o: v. _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.$ y1 u: ~6 ?( H4 {8 M$ k
; l" ~3 T& Z; t; R' {5 bThey 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. ( j5 M+ d3 Z9 r0 j2 v W7 \3 X9 V7 M# I/ i" Y
"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" ' S. d- w5 g7 \" [) k8 G6 u1 u3 Q, F
Officials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes.) k9 G; D9 X% d4 s9 r/ g
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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. / O7 z" O3 c# n% e- s0 ~ 3 N, C9 z( \4 s7 a7 m; D; _ uCoulson 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. 5 o/ L3 M: q, x4 I 5 {# p* g# q( ^: ?9 u"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.; V8 L; E' ^2 v
4 P' h* w1 N# s I0 |) u; PDue 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 \1 o! M4 V7 k+ g: e) h
5 F. B' n& Q0 \+ S5 b8 ^$ jThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. / A4 m! F; Z6 d( f- W/ F" t) x: Y# e1 {
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. 9 Y# o- l# ]. B( Y" B' n6 a& [
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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. 2 T; X+ }8 v, h! S$ G& v- D) e- A * a$ |0 X: @) M' j7 q; X& |9 q) `But flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 1 {" [4 t/ H0 N& K 6 Y, F @1 J1 a! D$ A# t, }"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. $ x* d! A6 o# m: A) _ ^ 8 a7 S! d+ F: U( ^$ y9 P"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 v0 e# f* @6 Y& z1 v7 i
' l- }% d. h7 o********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM