3 ~5 k( J. z$ |http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20050819/160_toronto_flood_050819.jpg0 e: i, y% B# S! k3 M
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southwestern toronto and northern toronto was hit by a tornado 4 g- G9 ~& k4 M# y+ Y, I5 i 7 r% I) P( r5 c- H" a, + D6 P J" E% ?" p! a8 X % `3 ^! o0 N# ]7 a* m! V xthe southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage. 9 J! B( \2 ^0 j3 {0 S8 Q7 B % ]1 F- K: P( T6 m & j8 }1 p* I0 S! e+ ?*********************************************************** . u/ L* N: S, H9 |6 V! ]Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado # d# J R9 q( w9 U$ P
by: PAUL CHOI ! z9 n" l) k4 {5 ]# O" ySat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET, _- ?% T- N8 n/ A! X' ?
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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. 4 v* u# m! T! [+ c 9 Q) H3 f+ N. z, e( 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. - n" q1 v* Q& e. ?$ y1 M0 ]! b% G4 j, S0 D5 R! ?
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( t& z% E3 e. F P
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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." # D, [/ }- c0 q$ W. h+ X6 l1 `' p( ]( ^1 Q
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. ( [3 V) ?4 L- ]( B4 w" O ' f# J+ x+ n! i, s5 JElsewhere 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.7 N! u/ q! O1 R3 Q& A- B* p
5 o7 G$ h; G5 ?"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."0 Z/ K' M" a) ~1 ^% a
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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.9 l. k. h# G7 N$ ~/ e( V" ^' u
1 d5 v: `' E4 P9 s/ k! R+ `% qAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. ' r" Z# f7 s2 Y- `# ~, E7 z + K, a" i( L, C5 D4 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." + N/ G% T0 c8 {+ v# s- c' L' y/ S6 }7 Z: e8 j# Z# h
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. 0 o% h# q/ v9 t8 |& c ; a$ [: x7 ]) `$ y+ h5 ~( uThey 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. # s3 K) B% l0 j1 [' W3 X 5 Q9 a8 q( r8 F& L- r"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"! O9 M* g! c; 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. 3 N! V, |. ^6 ^. J1 u2 [6 G% a4 {, I( B2 C8 w8 v( k
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. ; `2 W" _3 l$ d+ |/ q2 M$ s! f2 } # D- a6 c6 ~# `6 @7 y, |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. 7 e! q6 Q( \( b0 ]3 l5 F; t# j 3 X; q$ V$ n: ] [; p( U"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. r% N+ a# q8 h# {8 \: l
, _/ W. U6 M8 TDue 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. 3 [+ |1 Q) A; Y4 f: @. D/ K$ C$ ^# B8 o4 \' c
The majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. & B# S: x) J( p% r- F, i) M
0 [: O* h, P% M+ B# h) M8 {1 rMeanwhile 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. , p4 D+ B% e0 t- B& r
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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. 1 i+ C; K3 X3 m7 z% n. ~% A 3 H8 ]) ?8 p0 ~But flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. 6 k. ~% R! z ~% r; f
+ |" T6 x& n( q( u"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 k0 p, \. ]7 ]$ z ( q. T0 f! d: I4 o& r& j"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. ! Q) b2 l: E: [9 x; h# x& } g3 T t+ q) U8 n+ B, t7 v
********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM