& O# w @0 s# K1 sthe southeastern toronto had only a severe storm, no severe damage.2 k+ P8 j' U4 G& u0 c- W5 s% O
' e1 [/ P# T& f7 C . T! @/ ]& r+ F9 q8 ]*********************************************************** 0 D' v# @9 R# M9 T6 n" DResidents of southern Ontario town pick up pieces after confirmed tornado % n6 ?6 M. H8 Q8 m7 B& ?by: PAUL CHOI 3 B |( a; h+ [/ u# ]9 X$ iSat Aug 20, 3:47 PM ET 1 c2 T$ M& F4 K8 z# L) u, }9 }- ]
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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.! W9 M0 e% @+ V% Z
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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. " w Q' o: b/ {$ X1 i2 s. q9 U$ Z; S* q. b6 {
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. $ h& J3 M8 H( q, K% }# |: z& E! P f
"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."$ Z$ B% q. A, k( q; \
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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. # |/ O L6 m* v! z% j5 U6 p* O) T. m' b, Q5 w# C
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.$ l; m; [# t. x6 O) ?
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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." , d$ m" I9 F7 }& Y% ]2 W * C7 _9 }" V" B: f1 t3 ^On Friday, a state of emergency was declared in the community of Centre Wellington, which includes Fergus, after the storm got out of hand. % Q( Z- c" w7 q+ Y: Y& h" e3 I+ k5 x2 I' b- f9 |" |' q! h6 H
Amidst the wreckage, no serious injuries were reported, provincial police said.# Q2 b8 t* `- n' u' l. N- i% G
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"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."7 v2 o/ K% G: h s. e
4 t0 L* B3 k8 ^, X$ j; O1 ~7 f' M- xFergus resident Klaus Doerig and his wife, Judy, were at home when the skies turned menacingly grey and tree limbs began flying past their window. ; r9 |8 a& i1 ?, i ~' |/ o 9 O! K# m/ [2 [: V: eThey 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.( Q3 }! ]7 w/ D1 R
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"We were selling this house," he said. "It was for our retirement. Who would want to buy my house now?"6 y' g; N( b. J' I) n$ [
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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 Y, M* n7 `' i8 F/ S
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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. b& Z6 K/ ^$ r5 {" B( |
?& N4 m+ C( n1 U4 cCoulson 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. & ?6 E x4 w: X+ d7 @/ _3 D9 C. A! [' S9 z& K& K" G
"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.8 M/ y* ^; M( k
9 i3 [4 |; l3 [5 FDue 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 T* i9 R+ e' t- `, G: k 8 @; X3 }' Y( @0 J/ M4 G/ VThe majority of residents were to have power restored by Saturday night, Welsh said. 4 s, J+ i `/ ? I) N& k% w. | 6 N" [! B8 f2 ]8 @# YMeanwhile 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. e$ n4 b! }" t! | $ a) B8 V, E6 g- hDuring 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. : g7 C* R1 e- T4 Y- {5 U2 l8 z
" _8 k6 {, t) m7 DBut flood waters receded rather rapidly and emergency services were quick to respond. * K% y6 a; {. C : B) ~# G; u9 O; J4 Y"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. * t2 h3 x$ y O) D* ^2 u e7 X ' F; D% a, o: r! E, b+ Z"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. 4 F, @ V3 G5 _2 a& w- w5 W( p0 i9 R* S2 q
********************************************************************作者: daniel1989723 時間: 2005-8-25 03:59 AM