$ q/ P& I- `& I ' k- X4 i, K) |5 D * P6 o$ E1 {5 Z0 V1 n3 O2 x# E# }$ ythank you for the news, % n5 W8 K& l! ci have some news from toronto too...3 E- J) i0 e1 q
9 i# x5 |& {- H8 G: U6 n - `' n7 v' t7 Q+ p6 k; I# y***********************************************************) U! A/ r, z$ ^! x Residents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado 3 j/ w2 ?& h: ?0 u
by: PAUL CHOI 2 t1 S" R& M6 ~. mSat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET , E/ g X R: N s* {( A1 ] - q. { b. Y0 ~3 k' }6 u5 o ( k4 T' n' K, ?% F' M. gTORONTO (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.0 f( U/ ]: M. I
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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. 3 u$ e- U& L1 m6 b3 I) r% }# K5 Y {0 D; M- L) }5 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. * f5 ^' l: R6 f- O2 A- @0 {' ?1 \4 O. n+ H h
"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." & M. b L6 T" F |8 F" [7 }3 g% p9 x- {0 O9 |/ m/ b0 }
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.* ?& Z' R9 Y( A8 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.2 r W: s6 Y8 j& q0 ^
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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."4 d8 b1 Z: u+ i" `, d+ C
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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. ; m1 c# `+ L: T% \) ~6 ?- P . Q2 |* L; ]& a) T5 ` tAmidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said. : \8 ~3 E+ W' P( K" j) W7 l0 I* s; @: ?5 ~8 ]5 k/ k
"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." 9 k5 e/ J r- u% U0 S , }) q7 V+ n. _5 B) D$ NFergus resident Klaus Doerig and his wife, Judy, were at home when the skies turned menacingly grey and tree limbs began flying past their window., U! }3 ^7 |1 |9 O
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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. ! }# ^5 E' M, m' Q- O/ v1 | 5 l( S7 Z- I; ?) M"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"+ z/ `% x, K* O9 @0 p( ]
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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.* |4 @0 h, @5 I8 B+ l
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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. - o, Z. @' s" w, `/ s( d& o! _' s; q' _, o- K( 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. : a) v2 ]# _1 w3 v2 F- ]& f s1 y& Q7 ^" F h6 S* 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.' D2 E$ k c- D( K: n3 M( I/ l5 u
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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. . s- O. A' I! I& o 6 z b! C, I3 E: @8 \& i2 qThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. ; O( [4 Q; m& \1 |; ~$ \1 L' X, a 2 U' r7 O2 E7 AMeanwhile 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. % N, H8 k% Z/ t1 u" G & C# b! p3 E1 } v9 i0 cDuring 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. + g/ ?* [" B. H H* r2 P. O1 M0 C* e4 EBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. ; U! v+ g9 _, i' ~6 i& N4 p8 m/ @3 s; }7 r0 N7 ^1 N1 Z; b
"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. 4 m- \# k; o5 y& |8 R
# u! G+ m5 R4 l w, _1 a7 h" |"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.$ `/ s- m3 e- Q: m) Q9 O- U
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********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM