+ `$ S& y a3 g. h5 u# R3 S$ k*********************************************************** 2 }! |" u" p( ?% d" x' H* q) n9 GResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado 6 R6 p4 H; p0 k! U' I
by: PAUL CHOI * V8 z3 x+ C% _; d1 M# J) ]
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET - R! r- `6 n# @" T. X % B2 C4 H6 P/ o" L* b ( L! _3 e) |$ s O. S" FTORONTO (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 ~3 ?# ?8 }6 ?1 x
0 W- ]3 J8 S, |2 N# b' N; j# X7 SThe 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. 8 S! K. ]0 d0 l# N. ?7 E5 F* h- V/ G& C. I' U1 ~, 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. 5 g6 c$ n! x3 X. u6 a8 D 5 E' d& q# b% Q$ G; U( 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." : Y# G" i) P+ O& I, Z 3 w6 q0 a( d- C9 {! F4 `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. ; y$ a6 v9 O; `+ C4 [: i( D7 G$ W ' F: U; u( K, h( E% u9 e# rElsewhere 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.0 d9 ^0 b5 O) q& S
/ X' F8 ]$ S, l' U# w9 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." ; y0 a* I* A$ P3 T" o" U2 O, _; f6 u
On Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.1 O1 V- M4 E0 r9 Y3 l9 A0 v
' A; G4 x: B" I7 c; r9 PAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. & |; }! s2 Y4 g6 u0 E0 L 0 R7 N( X" H, n I) V"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.": I5 I) C) e/ Q& M3 d1 t
$ E* L; e) f# ~5 W- P; p
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. - I2 l' h' o! e ^* o7 w* U: ?3 e4 w0 f0 {( Y- { R
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.: R& N l( C, @/ i" e
8 o6 K/ p' M, S* t4 s) B"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"$ \4 A3 x9 x: k0 k4 L) K% u- \3 A
) D8 G( n3 R2 z7 {7 i5 w
Officials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes. ; H" L8 W @4 [# h* a! L, \0 B3 Y y' d. D6 w# E. Q$ A+ S& cAided 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.% n$ B4 `( s& S" ~1 |; }) |3 ?" e1 m
- O) D3 \6 C& V$ T z+ GCoulson 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.: I' n% O7 @; k& e8 S2 G- d8 c
: t7 D* r( L- X; z( H/ _: q
"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.. b9 G. Y, s" _# y
9 t* U% K, g5 ^ k$ I" g5 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. ! j! w* Q/ Q3 @) V7 z$ q
+ w/ n. C) d, e/ F/ e
The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. 5 }9 A& j; t N l; z6 [7 K' `
/ y7 ?# S! x* [* m4 T0 B
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. : u! q3 T2 M/ P8 f7 {. a. }# { ' t9 F1 E! I8 l7 NDuring 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. & r; a' |, U) Y* j- c " M4 y" d Z& a- ]2 bBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 7 D) p% }- [; I- }1 q* j : x1 L8 H. `2 y% @! X5 J: `, 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. 9 J. S2 |0 y/ `( s" a
+ ?2 }, m7 b$ f9 t$ i"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.8 r7 k' r5 [! a6 t! r/ \5 B
4 J) l. l2 K- H; B+ x********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM