Vaughan Officials Say Cleanup Progressing Well, State Of Emergency Still In Effect

As southern Ontario coped with a massive storm that brought as many as four tornadoes to the region, the GTA was also dealing with its share of wild weather.

Vaughan was one of the worst-hit areas.

“I have to go inside to pick up stuff,” Marando Domenico explained. “I have only this with me,” he added, pointing to his shirt.

Domenico was searching for his insurance papers and once had them safely in hand, he was gone. His home is surrounded by yellow police tape and he won’t be allowed back in for some time.

It wasn’t the only one on the block. Trees covered driveways and blocked roads, cars were tossed “like toys,” and nearly every street bore the scars of the destruction.

“All I see is this big gust of wind coming right in front of my house, like right here,” describes one witness, still in shock.

“All you see is the roofs coming right off, all the debris coming, just flying everywhere.”

On Friday, Vaughan officials updated cleanup efforts, saying that although progress was being made, up to 45 buildings have been deemed unsafe and hundreds more have been damaged.

“We are asking residents to secure their damaged homes immediately and help return our neighbourhoods to normal as soon as possible,“ said Mayor Linda Jackson in a statement. “The clean-up of City roads is underway and special provisions are being made to pick up storm debris.”

Environment Canada experts are investigating the damage.
 
“It’s fairly significant but we need to ascertain as to whether it was a tornado or not,” government employee Arnold Ashton outlined.

“From there, how strong the tornado was.”

No one was seriously hurt but some people needed help escaping their homes. Paramedics and other emergency crews were called in to assist the elderly and others who had difficulty fleeing.

“Thank god no one has any serious injuries, but I’m sure they’re going to have to rebuild their homes,” resident Diana Greco said.

Police are warning onlookers to stay away from the area. Building inspectors were continuing to visit the affected areas, and they planned to keep working through the weekend to assist residents.

“Our main goal is the safe return of our citizens to their homes and businesses,” noted Jackson. “We are thankful for the incredible contributions and support of our Emergency Services, City staff, and other government agencies.”

For information regarding City Services (water, etc), call Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281. Access Vaughan will operate until 7pm Friday and between 8:30am and 4:30pm on Saturday.

Residents affected by the storm are strongly urged to register at one of the two emergency centres – Father Ermanno Bulfon Community Centre at 8141 Martingrove Road and the Maple Community Centre at 10190 Keele Street.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has representatives at both emergency centres to assist residents with insurance questions and concerns. Residents can also call 416-362-9528, ext. 4700 or visit their website www.ibc.ca.

Residents who left pets behind are encouraged to contact Vaughan Enforcement Services at 905-832-8505.

To report power outages call Powerstream at 1-877-777-3810 or visit their website at www.powerstream.ca.

York Region is extending the hours of the McCleary Court Community Environmental Centre (CEC) and Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALHB) Yard Waste Drop-off facility in the City of Vaughan, to assist residents with clean-up efforts. New hours will be in effect and fees will be waived until Friday, September 4. The CEC is located at 130 McCleary Court (Hwy 7 and Creditstone Rd. area)  and the ALHB facility is at 8000 Dufferin St. (at Hwy 7). For more information visit www.york.ca.

For more updates visit the City of Vaughan website at www.vaughan.ca.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today