Sunday 23 September 2018

Too close for comfort

It seems every time we have a major thunderstorm forecast our cell phones blare out a severe weather watch and a ‘potential’ tornado warning for the area. Such was the case on Friday. After the 2012 storm  we always worry about falling trees and wind damage, so it was with some trepidation that we watched as the black clouds built up around us. When the storm hit it hit hard, with very strong winds and torrential rains, but 15 minutes later it was past us with no apparent damage done. Some trees did come down nearby, and many neighbours are still without power 48 hours later, but we were unscathed this time.

Not so fortunate though were our friends in Dunrobin, Ottawa, and across the river in Gatineau where F2/F3 tornados did touch down causing severe damage. This is such a rare occurrence hereabouts that we are unaccustomed to seeing pictures like these.


Dunrobin

Tornado 3

Tornado 2

Gatineau


Tornado 4

Craig Henry, Ottawa This is more personal. The first photo is of houses across the street from where we lived in the 80s. The 2nd and 3rd are of our then-neighbour’s home which had a complete shed roof come through a second floor bedroom wall along with other major structural damage. (They are currently vacationing in the UK so there was no one home at the time, which is, in a way, fortunate.)

Tornado 1

              Tornado 5                         Tornado 6

There are hundreds of other photos and videos appearing online showing just how devastating Mother Nature can be when she’s pissed. But what is most amazing is that there have been no fatalities reported to date and few serious injuries in spite of the fact the storm hit at dinner time when most people would be home. The good news is that the first responders did a fantastic job, communities are all coming together to lend a helping hand wherever possible, and the Hydro crews are working around the clock to restore power.

Still, it's frightening, and somewhat sobering, to realise just how quickly your life can be turned inside out by events totally beyond your control.

3 comments:

  1. Too true. Living in a mobile part of the year as we do, it’s a hidden dread...but this force of nature shows us everyone is vulnerable.

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  2. Oh my, I wasn't even aware that your region is tornado territory. Thankfully it seems that nobody had been injured badly.

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    Replies
    1. Sonja - I expect there will be more injuries from the cleanup than from the storm. Very fortunate indeed. I drove through my old neighbourhood yesterday and could barely recognise it. Not a tree left standing, houses all boarded up. Devastating for those affected.

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