O( b! W' h4 Jsouthwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado1 Y7 f$ C3 L% [' \. ^
: f, w! x0 Q+ ]/ U, + R# g0 u* e! ]4 T5 `; _' |2 S # T8 ^4 b" C$ Xthe southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage. ) Z' S% F: o3 Z3 [* J6 \1 S9 o6 P9 \: V/ c1 h4 c0 Q# W
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*********************************************************** ; l! j4 t9 M0 ] f- n# kResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado % O0 \& P9 m' k k' g
by: PAUL CHOI : }& k+ d. {/ U1 ^, C
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET7 ^. ]/ o4 J4 K" X$ `5 q
% V1 ?0 C. J6 I' p5 \' B + i* R1 u! ^9 L {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.: a: m! F* X L# t: X5 S' Z
- B2 {* L4 {$ n8 Y& r8 vThe 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. 6 M, C G- |3 B9 e$ {# o; `: R, Z' }
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.8 }# }. L! z$ i, ~: h7 C
" F6 ? x/ {6 N0 _"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."# R- A; f0 m0 H P
/ }7 N7 d! u( ?2 WA 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. , j( _! \6 ~; c 7 _/ C/ p( X! a; kElsewhere 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.& Z8 X# [5 A4 `7 i
* Q2 N$ d8 |' i"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."9 @! q/ P/ E7 o2 R
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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.$ _6 F! H, i* Q- h+ P5 n
- l; j: p! b% G% R% z; [$ ~Amidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said.0 I/ r0 A0 k5 u+ N" H* v
% G& j6 \8 C5 s8 o4 e"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 Q5 }! ~0 P7 C5 B4 c ' y3 ~- w. y+ I; _8 O* ~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. ; N9 `* \* x4 }: L4 G6 r - r$ w( Z0 d' J. |* XThey 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.& U2 X2 q% d. U# x2 y% \8 y) h. G8 H' C
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"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?" $ O8 S2 [# G$ V& `- {! O& P; Q4 ^+ q) U a' S" x/ S) t! X- ]+ W C8 Y; W
Officials continued studying the aftermath in other areas of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon, trying to determine if other regions were hit by tornadoes.. @/ E; C4 u% N' ~" W$ U3 B# u
7 Z) R/ d6 g/ t3 QAided 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.; _; \% t% t. t- v0 ^8 A4 E' ]3 _2 J
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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.1 ^+ Z0 S; k. ]) F
1 C" b3 C+ n8 ]"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 R/ j* _2 c& y& [2 Q) ]
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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. , T5 {$ m6 y1 M4 ?7 j, P/ G
4 |: `2 Y( e) c8 k! D( nThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. , s' v* _9 k# G4 G
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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. , K7 X* g# ?% w4 d8 Z& O
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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. , z0 Y$ U$ }6 d- B3 M! }
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But flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. ' d. [4 ?7 [* T$ V7 z 4 z6 B6 x' R* `% E"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. 3 u" v' Z C+ d; e
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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.. ]! o. x! b' g' w