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 A resident of Mont-Laurier, Que., covers his house with a tarp after a tornado ripped off the roof. (Ronald McGregor/QMI Agency) |
OTTAWA -- More than 40 homes were severely damaged in Mont-Laurier and a home in Aumond was torn off its foundation after a tornado touched down in West Quebec Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday night, 15 Hydro Quebec crews were working to restore electricity to 7,000 people without electricity in Mont-Laurier, about 180 km north of Ottawa.
Quebec provincial police Const. Steve Lalande said the storm touched down in Mont-Laurier and carried on through the community of Aumond, about 30 km away.
“There are roofs ripped from houses, siding torn off homes, fences all over the place, uprooted trees,” Lalande said.
He said police began receiving reports of the damaging storm just before 3 p.m.
Environment Canada has confirmed it was a tornado.
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The town of Mont-Laurier is providing shelter to people left homeless in a local sports centre.
Lalande said so far only three minor injuries had been reported.
Environment Canada had issued severe thunderstorm warnings for many parts of Eastern Ontario and West Quebec Tuesday, including a tornado warning for Barry’s Bay that was later lifted.
The watches and warnings extended from the Bancroft region through Barry’s Bay and Pembroke, across Ottawa through to the Prescott and Russell regions, then into the Pontiac, Mont-Laurier and Gatineau areas in Quebec.
In Ottawa, fierce winds brought down several hydro poles in the Westboro area when uprooted trees tangled with the power lines. Hydro Ottawa said four spans were affected. That left 500 people without power for part of the evening. Police closed parts of Dovercourt Ave. and Tweedsmuir Ave. near the downed lines during the afternoon commute.
At the Ottawa airport, numerous flights were delayed or cancelled because of weather across the region. A spokesman said lightning was reported in the area between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. It’s typical for airline ground crews to clear the tarmac when that happens.
Hydro One reported power outages in parts of Perth, Arnprior, Vankleek Hill and Winchester.
There were strong winds and rain across Eastern Ontario and West Quebec, and one report of light hail in the Haliburton area.
The warnings for West Quebec and Ottawa were lifted just after 7 p.m.
Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson said a large cold front caused the stormy conditions.