WATERLO REGION – A strong thunderstorm, producing hail with nickel sizes and gusts of up to 130 km / h, passed through the Waterloo region early on Saturday afternoon.
At its peak, at least 55,000 people experienced power outages in the region as a result of the storm – about 21,000 with Kitchener Wilmot Hydro and 37,000 with Energy + Hydro.
The teams continued to respond to outages in the region throughout the afternoon and are working to restore power to all areas.
Kitchener Wilmot Hydro, meanwhile, has asked drivers to treat all intersections affected by interruptions as a four-way stop.
Crews are battling a series of fallen trees and downed power lines in urban and rural areas.
After the storm swept through the region, Environment Canada later issued a tornado warning as it continued its journey east to Toronto.
He called the situation “dangerous” and “potentially life-threatening”.
“Heavy hail can damage property and cause injuries,” the Environment Canada report said. “Strong gusts of wind can throw loose objects, damage weak buildings, break tree branches and overturn large vehicles. Heavy rain is possible in some places. Remember that strong thunderstorms can cause tornadoes. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year.
Signals for felled trees and power lines are coming from all over the region.
Caitlin Galloway watched from her ninth-floor balcony near Kingsdale as the storm approached.
“We were on our balcony when the storm started and we saw the power lines and the transformer crack, crack and spark,” she said.
After talking to a maintenance worker in her building, she said she could be without electricity for up to three days.
On 6th Avenue, Linda Gabel had just walked in when she heard the deafening sounds of an 80-foot maple crashing into the house.
“It got dark just before 12:15, and then the wind picked up and the boom,” she said, “the tree fell.
There is some damage to her roof and porch, as well as to her neighbor’s cuts, and she said the whirlpool has been removed from the house.
Fortunately, she had a trash can in her driveway for some house renovations, and her vehicles were not in the driveway where the tree landed. If it weren’t for the trash can, she said, the tree would probably crush her car, as well as the neighbor’s window.
No one was injured in the accident.
Down the road, she said, the water lines have been completely removed from a residential building.
There have been reports of similar damage in the region.
The Grand River Conservation Authority announced late Saturday afternoon that it was closing many trails and natural areas while staff assessed significant damage to trees.
A full list of closures can be found on its website.
Kitchener Wilmot Hydro asks everyone to stay at least 10 meters from all damaged power lines and call 911 immediately in case of any new observations.
Due to the high volume of calls, the police of the Waterloo region said on Twitter on Saturday to refrain from calling unless it is for emergencies.
Property damage as a result of a fallen tree does not require a police report.
Instead, police said, contact your insurer.
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