9 E3 `: }, s% ^2 K# S9 @7 p; C& \southwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado ) Q9 |- J6 h) t2 y1 o, q. E" R. j3 N' ]. b) ~- W B1 \1 \8 o
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) _& Z7 s1 p9 m! R9 b+ |/ dthe southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage. * m/ X0 ?( G% x; O% J& q* Q2 Y# V) g+ o
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*********************************************************** % d: P* d1 l5 ]; ]4 j/ dResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado 6 u* K* L7 x. B
by: PAUL CHOI 9 i! V* g0 ` ^% s3 S9 ~Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET ) S4 Z# H2 U( y0 H % ] K; k6 h! x/ _ 6 v: A$ `1 r# c! C# _( r3 O$ rTORONTO (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.! u4 k; q* f# _2 U0 k
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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.& T# B" @) T4 w
L; e8 W x* ` y4 F" K( x# e: D- _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. , r! ^* o% F* Q+ w2 B! T6 A, Q4 t4 _6 @4 }, T: B8 n0 l
"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." 8 _- q6 y( ^: ^% x5 `+ Y 8 I0 ]" c: q9 P A, DA 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. ; ?2 L2 C* d$ Y4 Z % Q4 i2 }4 Z+ W' F- I: c5 v( MElsewhere 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 y5 m$ g$ v3 K4 Z) K, i
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"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." ! C! e U" ?3 z5 U $ w; ?; m2 K9 z2 ]On Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.8 }: I6 E3 m" `0 _% X: [
% x' Y! C, b/ `, s2 pAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. A8 d, `4 Y& J5 n: ?/ X# p# [4 S, O/ T
"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.": V$ W" I# A' q0 k9 a
+ S2 C8 g3 v* p8 E H# YFergus resident Klaus Doerig and his wife, Judy, were at home when the skies turned menacingly grey and tree limbs began flying past their window. + r o' [. J% Q, _3 I9 f! G, ?7 t- n; _/ T
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. ! a8 X) J1 W* l2 W 3 `! o- ^8 L# o/ P0 p; G5 [- e"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"+ O- n t* n0 R! M f- m
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Officials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes. / B7 {: x& M( K8 X4 n& a" ?/ |$ ^- O w2 T* Z& x* |3 Q2 T! w
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.+ k2 c& k$ L8 ~* G' a6 {/ I$ s
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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. 8 n/ N0 ^9 h) ?( W# Y+ Y! `9 l; G2 c: Y3 F# f
"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; N9 n" O; A* f4 ?: h& G% w) h# x# I$ m% G3 G6 }" E/ ]/ ]0 Z
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. 6 a+ X; r. w( V& ]8 J7 V
9 M' c2 ]9 T B" H( SThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. 6 G, B" t7 U9 i0 x+ E
& t5 l+ g* ?% m. c. C: ^: Y$ i3 }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. / @' [% P) H; c5 Q , Z! V+ X, }0 C7 {/ FDuring 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. ! |' a2 z" f: b4 R9 ]
$ x( i I1 y( `2 S |$ KBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. ' K8 G1 f8 u4 t: y/ y9 B9 ]/ }! l/ r7 M% _. 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. 1 I9 P4 }; D' E/ N/ e ~3 |& K
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"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. % z+ v5 J' E# m! x : Z) Q! N. \# d8 \' E! x********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM