9 |6 N0 t: q: { C% r8 L***********************************************************3 t% d# a0 _# I1 `5 b8 i* G3 W Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado 8 _, R$ G2 m9 X: T! \+ zby: PAUL CHOI % L$ k7 S2 {8 S, N7 I) G7 p/ |/ R5 xSat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET , w7 ~& H! b1 R" s# R9 w+ A 2 z% V$ f* Q: @8 V) G * P% L: W ~9 d N6 M3 A7 l5 ?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.3 S' F& k' 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. 0 d3 D* p* O( j. h- B( X + N" W) n! n v) h, v4 l% L( pIt 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/ |7 F. N' R1 s F: z# L# m1 I3 B( p9 p" Q5 z* M3 b
"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." 3 Y- Z$ y) a1 a3 w7 w& g 2 V# S1 |7 {0 g1 y! Y. y" xA 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.3 K9 D; r" \" b2 q8 _3 A
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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. & s) X. J' |/ I; |* h/ R# F2 N % ~/ F E$ U5 e% W5 Y% P" u& y"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."! s& z. s; A% |( r8 Q# 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. 0 @9 C$ c( d" j6 o0 d, J: h 0 d1 X5 z) ^7 O$ x# XAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. % k$ }9 H/ J/ j* v' T 9 e- f3 V. e; H: Z9 o o! ~"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."6 N+ [$ \9 {- H" b8 Q
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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. Q/ D- `' f8 F9 ?9 }0 ]- Y0 H
% u, i" D( I' D1 dThey 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.5 T0 z# m! d$ D4 Z! O n' Y8 c& G
0 B6 L& |. d3 o7 \! Z) z"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"& C0 w# ]$ {- e/ ^( d* t! i7 n4 Z) T
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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.- K8 I1 [. C3 \, w
% B7 B3 V3 |6 p8 jAided 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.' \, Q" A# Q! z! C
# `% u i, g! J, b. U6 S) g+ G: sCoulson 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 y# G9 S- p- G# T! I5 I 8 U( @$ T8 n+ C# J7 G, m"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. + B2 C5 V. l1 u# a: U) r$ _6 `! A1 w n* h
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. 5 l0 g1 e# |# a8 I! _' T. `
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The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. 1 Y- ]6 J) ~; k3 G$ s8 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. % R; X! U& |3 \ % m/ q2 P; B& D- T& k8 ?" gDuring 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. 1 K. }$ @2 x2 S* ~3 x
1 |0 V H* O& i8 A/ XBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. " |: l" a$ U: G; l- o! I/ H
5 `: V+ \1 t$ l6 F"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. $ g" O$ J3 d0 @6 l ! m, X9 W7 V9 V"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+ j6 J3 V0 D p
$ A& W) A, p( d- v3 g* K' A: ~********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM