Ontario Tornado Survivors Left Hanging on Homecoming

Officials say approximately 300 residents remain displaced after a tornado struck the community of Angus, Ont. on June 17 Tuesday, and there’s no clear timeline for their return home.

"We have 102 homes affected,” Essa Fire Chief Cynthia Tustin said at a news conference Thursday morning.

Many residents still haven’t been allowed to return to their homes after a tornado touched down in Angus at approximately 5:20 p.m. on Tuesday, damaging property and injuring three people.
OPP Staff Sgt. Brian Humber explained natural gas lines and hydro lines in some of the homes could pose a risk to returning residents.

"We want our residents in their homes as soon as they want to be in there, but we need to make sure they are safe," Mayor Terry Dowdall said.

In the meantime, police and fire crews have accompanied some displaced residents to their homes, helping reunite them with their pets, or recover medication.

Amanda and Tim Leal, who had part of their roof torn off during Tuesday’s tornado, were able to retrieve some small items from their home, including wedding photos and clothes for their two small children.

“Living room all blown in, glass was just everywhere,” Amanda told CTV Toronto as she described the devastation. “We’ve been here for eight years and it’s hard to see everything wrecked and stuff that we’ve worked hard to get.”

CTV