Latest news with #HuronCounty
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
'The whole house was shaking,' Huron County woman recalls close call with tornado
Parts of Huron County received a chilling reminder of nature's destructive power on Saturday evening after a possible tornado blew through part of the region between Bayfield and Goderich. On Sunday, residents and visitors in the area who witnessed the storm told CBC News they were simultaneously shocked and amazed by the event. Deborah Caira had a front row seat to the chaos, but said the calm before the storm was one of the most surprising parts of her experience. "We sat down to have dinner, and all of a sudden, my mom was like, 'You need to get to your safe place.' I said, 'It's all clear and sunny outside,'" Caira said. "Sure enough, I looked outside, and I saw this cloud formation rotating, coming toward us." Jun. 30 tornado touched down in Lucan, north of London Multiple businesses and locals near the tornado's path reported a similar calm, with some not even knowing about the event until hours later. Environment Canada said preliminary reports suggest the twister, which has not yet been assigned a severity rating, formed over Lake Huron before making landfall. An initial tornado warning was issued for the marine region shortly after 6 p.m., and the tornado made landfall closer to 7 p.m., a meteorologist said. Barely more than half an hour later and 27 kilometres from the lake's shoreline, Caira was caught in what looked like it could be a fight for her life. "We got inside, and probably two minutes later, it hit us, and I mean it hit us. The doors were shaking on their hinges. The whole house was shaking. It felt like it was over 100 kilometres an hour," Caira said, noting her home near Blyth, Ont., does not have a basement. "We took cover in the centre hallway in the house, and within a minute it was over." After the tornado passed, Caira said she watched it rip into a field behind her property before dissipating. The tornado caused serious damage to trees on the property, but left her house mostly unscathed. "We were just blown away with the size of the [tree] limbs that were down throughout our backyard and behind our house. It looks like it cut right across the corner of our property, and tossed my vegetable stand, which is probably four or 500 pounds, into the driveway, face down," Caira said. The vegetable stand, which she sells produce from, landed centimetres away from her vehicle. The tornado also destroyed a 150-year-old maple tree nearby, she said. Nearby Goderich, as well as other parts of Huron County, were the site of an intense tornado in 2011 that killed one person, injured 37, and caused $130 million in damages. That, and other historic tornadoes in the region, mean Caira and her neighbours are aware of what can happen, and are thankful it wasn't worse, she said. Powerful tornado kills man in Goderich, Ontario On its way to what could have been its final stopping point near Caira's property, the tornado hit a local campground, according to a representative from the business. The extent of the damage it caused is unclear. Closer to the shoreline, Niagara region videographer Tom Elgersma was on his way to visit family members in Goderich when he saw what looked like a funnel cloud. He pulled over to film it, and captured what appears to be a tornado weakening, almost dissipating, and then roaring back to life. "You're standing there, in awe, filming it, and you're also trying to keep in mind that it could change direction and start coming toward you," Elgersma said, calling the experience terrifying but fascinating all at once. His video was among dozens of pieces of media posted to social media groups designed to document and warn of extreme weather events as they're happening. People in the region have come to depend on the groups for information, especially since official tornado warnings sometimes come after the tornado itself has dissipated. "I think [these groups are] a good idea. They can give people updated situations and information from people who are on the ground," he said. Currently, a team from Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) is investigating the tornado with the hope of documenting it, determining its path and giving it an EF rating, which is determined by how much damage it caused. It's not the only severe weather event in this corner of Ontario in the past few days. The NTP recorded an EF-1 downburst in Mitchell, in the Municipality of West Perth, which happened on Thursday. The Mitchell downburst, the NTP's official notes say, damaged several barns, power poles, trees and crops. It had an estimated maximum wind speed of 150 km/h.
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Witness videos of Huron County Tornado
Three videos of the Huron County tornado show its progression. First, Tom Elgersma captured it crossing a road on its path eastward. Then, Deborah Caira recorded its approach to her property near Blyth. After that, Caira's neighbour's silo camera (which has its clock set one hour early) captures the tornado as it passes the property before eventually dissipating in a field.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
High bacteria levels close local beaches
Lifeguards on duty at Main Beach in Port Stanley, Ont., seen on July 7, 2019. (Brent Lale/CTV News London) A few local beaches have been declared not safe for swimming by area health units. In Huron County, Ashfield, Port Albert, and Goderich Main Beach are under a no-swim advisory. At Little Beach in Port Stanley, a swimming advisory is in place after high levels of bacteria were detected in the most recent water sample results.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
High bacteria levels closes local beaches
Lifeguards on duty at Main Beach in Port Stanley, Ont., seen on July 7, 2019. (Brent Lale/CTV News London) A few local beaches have been declared not safe for swimming by area health units. In Huron County, Ashfield, Port Albert, and Goderich Main Beach are under a no-swim advisory. At Little Beach in Port Stanley, a swimming advisory is in place after high levels of bacteria were detected in the most recent water sample results.
CTV News
19-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Ground broken for new care home in Exeter
Members of south Huron council break ground in Exeter for new long-term care home. (Source: Municipality of South Huron) A long-term care home is bringing 160 beds to the community in Exeter. On Friday, members of South Huron council broke ground at the location of the future Southbridge Exeter long-term care home in Huron County. Ontario's Minister of Long-Term Care, Natasha Kusendova-Bashta, said the facility is part of the government's initiative to fix long-term care. 'Thanks to this investment, 160 residents will have a new, safe and modern place to call home,' said Kusendova-Bashta. By 2026, the home expects to welcome its first residents. The care home will bring five 32-bed resident home areas with dining areas, lounges, activity rooms and outdoor amenities. It will also offer 96 private rooms and 32 basic rooms. Ontario aims to bring 58,000 new and upgraded long-term beds across the province by 2028.
