The Saugeen Times

Kincardine family in Goderich when possible tornado hit
By Liz Dadson

Feature/Weather

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The roof is gone off a building housing the Chisholm TV business, and neighbouring buildings are damaged just off The Square in Goderich after a possible tornado touched down Sunday afternoon
photos courtesy of Larry Walton

This tree lies in the street, one of hundreds snapped off in the raging winds of a possible tornado

Downed trees block streets throughout Goderich and town officials have declared a state of emergency

The Town of Goderich was devastated by a possible tornado Sunday afternoon and Larry Walton and his family of Kincardine were caught in the middle of it.

Speaking from his home Sunday night, Walton said that he and his wife and two sons had just left the Zehrs mall at Highways 8 and 21 when the storm hit.

"It was violent," he said. "The sky was dark, the wind was swirling around and hail was hitting the truck. Trees were all falling down around us. You would never have expected to see a tornado in Goderich, along the lake."

The Waltons, along with another family coming to Kincardine from Windsor for a vacation, took refuge in a house behind the old GM car dealership about a block from The Square - Goderich's downtown commercial centre.

"That's where we rode out the rest of the storm - in this guy's house and garage," said Walton. "My truck's damaged - it has dents in it and the trim is torn off."

He said there are a lot of downed trees and power lines in the the town. "All the branches have been stripped off the trees at the courthouse (on The Square). It was quite remarkable to see."

Many buildings lost their roofs, including the Coffee Culture which suffered major damage, said Walton, adding that the roof is completely gone off the church on Highway 21, opposite The Square, with just the rafters showing.

The storm hit at 3:56 p.m., six minutes after the Waltons left the Zehrs parking lot.

"It took us two-and-a-half hours to get home," said Walton. "All the roads were closed. Benmiller was hit so we had to take back roads until we reached Lucknow and then on home."

He said the family from Windsor was almost blown off the road on the way to Goderich.

Town officials have declared a state of emergency.

Environment Canada issued a tornado warning for the area just prior to the storm and will be sending out a storm damage team to investigate the area on Monday.

London OPP Sergeant Dave Rektor said the damage is widespread but the worst hit area is the downtown core. There are also reports of injuries, he said.

Police have blocked traffic from entering the core and will be going through buildings looking for people and checking that everyone is accounted for, said Rektor.

The rain, hail and heavy wind, which Environment Canada says was possibly a tornado, passed through Goderich in a matter of minutes. The hail was reported to be the size of a fist and smashed car windows.