6 ^. Z: M+ n0 \, e- @http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20050819/160_toronto_flood_050819.jpg . k" y/ X9 N* t: m H/ g7 r0 g3 D- F6 h& L3 C
southwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado ; G, F5 M! r% Y1 V# n; o, A) r/ J; J2 ]
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the southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage.! U0 Z7 w7 w# d& I
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*********************************************************** }2 ]% G% \% L( i Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado 8 t6 D2 w1 v# Y8 b( {1 w3 }& f3 k
by: PAUL CHOI 9 r1 j: {! y2 `8 D( p9 \8 Q
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET ! J, B8 \2 Y7 R1 m% f. w! d# M% I, s
; t) e/ `+ ]- @2 ]# _& b" a$ _/ 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.1 i0 d; V( t: F( {5 ~3 G
4 l( c3 I- J2 ?0 C# QThe 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. 3 J `' G4 G; L' A! A. T4 h( _; W0 b4 S. B) H
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. 2 g; y" o1 k; y' e3 s9 u3 d' n# Q
"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." # ?# I2 I5 z% X( G % F6 E0 M) [' Y1 }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. - ~! D O8 a8 b% U 8 W1 i+ I$ p2 G0 VElsewhere 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. ; y% l1 ]3 O6 D ' A0 [% o$ O( k1 h/ @7 Q: B"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." % J$ W, Z- x' d3 I" `' M- d2 {/ @$ s3 ?* _& }! C
On Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.2 i' j* S1 C% i3 w) v, y
_" B6 f) f# |& i, E7 BAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said.+ `' ]! b" v' N, {3 L" }$ b9 f
1 r, D: H3 \* L. G6 Z9 F- Q"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."1 k+ C, F) l4 z0 e" A
$ y$ r" J" h6 j& C1 q! qFergus resident Klaus Doerig and his wife, Judy, were at home when the skies turned menacingly grey and tree limbs began flying past their window." W; V# E5 a- ^1 \) ~
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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. # W5 Q, X9 k3 f9 }7 W + G) v% i) ^; l$ d6 S"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"# O# L& Y, G$ X0 B
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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. / W. c$ e3 g: T& R* E- p" d7 d- r
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.. S E( A4 ^, v, |/ |: b# e
$ G3 f. P0 f$ F" T& z# E% D3 s8 ]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. : ?; j+ E: }1 [& f 2 I% c9 M) H* Z2 c"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 G" i2 e% A w9 G c8 U- N+ E/ i
E6 C" M0 U& h$ r# E- cDue 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. * w. m3 b4 g0 W4 S2 ? z& s- C 4 y- [, ^( P# RThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. + `+ ?8 u" F" ~# G9 g4 a% r
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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. 6 q9 |/ k/ X/ x* m; ^
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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. : ~7 U5 S& \. T P
3 N' @# h7 j, ]4 ?3 Y5 HBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. & K+ o$ Z- V5 S+ d! b0 r7 e( e/ @: S. X. n: _( ~
"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. % z; K5 S# n5 d( K$ n" g2 o* D 2 ?6 v# \! Z& S"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.2 F8 g: j5 Z& ^0 f4 m& A# G4 X0 A) A