A tornado wreaked havoc in the south Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven, leaving a trail of damaged homes in its wake.
Ottawa police said the tornado touched down in the Half Moon Bay area of Barrhaven on Thursday at approximately 12:45 pm, accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds.
Although officials reported only one minor injury, an estimated 125 homes were damaged in the vicinity.
“The damage varies from roofs being ripped off of the homes, the shingles and the sheeting, down to broken windows and trees being down and various other damage to structures,” said Kim Ayotte, Ottawa’s general manager of emergency and protective services.
City officials also released a list identifying the areas hit hardest by the tornado.
Umbra Place/Watercolours Way bore the brunt of the storm with 50 houses damaged, closely followed by Perseus Way/Proxima Terrace with 35 houses, and Jockvale Road/Exeter Drive with around 30 to 40 houses affected.
Environment Canada had issued a tornado warning for Ottawa shortly before the twister touched down. A second tornado warning was issued at 2:45 pm, but lifted shortly afterward.
The weather agency released a statement confirming that one tornado touched down in the city.
“A rating will be assigned as more information is received,” it said.
Ottawa fire services are heading the city’s response in the aftermath of the tornado, receiving support from the police and other city departments.
“This incident still has a large footprint, and all city and service partners are working together,” said acting police chief Steve Bell, as reported by CTV News.
Staff are also on-hand to provide information on damage assessment and help residents through the insurance process, according to city officials.
“I want to assure you that the city of Ottawa is here to help and support everyone that's been affected,” said interim city manager Wendy Stephanson. “We have multiple departments across the city working very hard immediately after this storm.”
A tornado warning was also issued for the greater Montreal area on Thursday, as well as other areas of Quebec.
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