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thank you for the news, 5 `/ G1 O8 }* }& s2 ?4 [ Z+ O Ui have some news from toronto too...2 R: |0 ?: u. }9 o6 p
* p% s9 p: j# o( u d) k, 2 c' c3 t4 A4 I * ^' v, R, ^) T. M- d$ A/ cthe southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage./ ^- l: m8 o& t$ o
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*********************************************************** \) K- N( f. Z# a" Q: O* KResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado 1 P& N! O& c/ V" ]# B
by: PAUL CHOI 7 ~: i# s! V+ f5 q; q! F
Sat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET7 [0 S' e& p" i) O
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" W7 j4 I( x' K9 f# U) q) X4 ]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.. i o6 ]9 S+ s: u7 ]" _% v
% Q7 e9 a0 Y2 k+ hThe 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.9 o+ e* @+ g' g H d, _
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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.; Q, Y- c6 o8 p% N( P: K8 k: L
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"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 d" N' N6 A* {# Y- I& P1 ~. \+ \- ^' G+ E3 j4 t
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.2 o1 b: C; f# p- F2 ~9 x& X
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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.- Q3 R/ i4 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.": [* k4 l+ a" i* ]! W! E
0 w3 p& U! ~5 i( l# C. e+ S) TOn Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand.5 m8 J+ b) F% S. t+ @2 d E3 d+ f
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Amidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. 4 C; P2 {! i# x 8 `% l3 K8 v0 G" ]"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."4 \- Q& Q" t0 G5 Z5 X
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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. 3 K9 l5 D5 \7 k* L; j; C; w7 _4 n0 p
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. ' T- L. w& O( A0 x8 ~ 8 n6 H6 z% w B: @* t6 S"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"& p% D7 i* S' C6 r) _; l
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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." D! C: k: }" x& j4 Y' ^
* H3 Z, Q% I4 k+ Y* LAided 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.4 H) o/ s4 I: X& o
( q! P, @9 d" e/ C7 ZCoulson 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." x2 k. L' \- N; {2 f
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"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.6 A- |+ ]2 Y/ V) z/ f# U
0 l' e2 J7 ?! bDue 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. 0 {% l: \ J1 C2 r* y8 S/ H
2 j, g' Q6 |% h9 bThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. - P! f z, P; }6 k. I/ ]# p2 G- \ + o- W2 B; \6 u5 I( s8 hMeanwhile 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. 4 _7 }; L: e! b' D& z8 ^1 f6 t7 g, ^- J+ X, S
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. ) z' E1 h2 A" l3 i+ R% o* o7 A* S% A: g, f1 }. b
But flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. ( l' D" }1 \. d1 L+ N# c3 ?* ?) Y/ ^; a; j
"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. 0 m7 B1 e- R0 H. R
, l4 _4 |6 I4 { y2 x/ B"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. ) j- u# ]! l+ p8 M0 S 7 d2 Q$ r3 {2 ]' m1 T/ @/ z********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM