Fire chief gives update on Alberta tornado
Tornado touches down in Alberta
Stephen Hunt
CTVNewsCalgary.ca Digital Producer
Follow | Contact
Updated July 2, 2023 3:35 p.m. MDT
The central Alberta community of Carstairs spent Sunday regrouping after a huge tornado struck part of the town Saturday.
“I’ve been in emergency services for 27 years, and I’ve never had this size of tornado incident,” said Carstairs fire chief Jordan Schaeffer, in an interview with CTV News.
“It’s been tough, but my crews have been doing a great job.”
The tornado struck Saturday afternoon around 2 p.m., damaging 14 homes in the Carstairs and Didsbury area, according to Mounties.
RELATED STORIESTornado strikes Mountain View County, Alta., damaging houses
Schaeffer said some of those homes were destroyed.
“We have confirmed five homes are 100 per cent completely damaged or will be a complete write-off,” he said. “We do know of four of them that are non-existent at this time.”
Schaeffer said two fire crews were on hand, assisting with cleanup.
He added the number one priority for the community was looking after families displaced by the natural disaster.
“We’re working with RCMP or they’re getting Victims Services lined up,” he said. “Some of them (displaced families) have friends to stay with.
“We’re making sure their mental health is being taken care of.”
While there were no injuries to people reported Saturday, 25 cows and 20 chickens were killed. One horse needed to be euthanized.
Schaeffer also recalled a rescue effort of a Carstairs woman who was trapped in the basement of a destroyed home.
“We arrived on scene (Saturday),” he said. “One of my crews was telling me there was someone trapped (in the basement).
“We went over there – myself and the two firefighters – (and) the family members, and we started digging her out.
“We could hear her talking,” he said. “I backed away so I could start running the scene. And (with) the assistance of family members, local citizens and my two crew members, they were able to extricate her out and she had not a scratch on her.
“She was assessed by AHS, but was released back to her family moments after that.”
Despite the traumatic events of a Canada Day unlike any other, Schaeffer said the mood in the community Sunday was positive.
“The mood is actually really good,” he said.
“It’s a lot like the floods of 2013 in Calgary,” he added. “Yes, it was a disaster but everybody is kind of sticking together.
“There’s so much of people going, ‘Hey, can I help?’
“The biggest problem right now,” he added, “is (finding) parking for vehicles. So it’s great to see the community coming together, and trying to help these people who received this disaster.”
Schaefer also expressed gratitude for first responders from Alberta Health Services, along with members of the Olds and Didsbury fire departments, “And the RCMP,” he added, “for doing a great job and the residents of the area for letting us respond and respecting response areas.”
RELATED IMAGES
Canada Day tornado near Didsbury, Alta., July 1, 2023. (Photo courtesy Matt Melnyk)
Tornado south of Didsbury, Alberta on Canada Day, July 1, 2023 (Photo courtesy Garrett Toothe)
Canada Day tornado photographed near Didsbury, Alta., Canada, by Matt Melnyk, July 1, 2023
Canada Day tornado near Didsbury, Alta., July 1, 2023. (Photo courtesy Matt Melnyk)
CBC
Sat, July 1, 2023
A tornado has damaged homes in the Mountain View County area, RCMP said Saturday.
Alberta RCMP say houses have been damaged and injuries have been reported following a tornado affecting communities in Mountain View County, but the full scope of the impact is not immediately known.
The tornado prompted an Alberta Emergency Alert to be issued on Saturday afternoon affecting Didsbury, Olds, and Carstairs. By 2:45 p.m. that alert had been cancelled.
RCMP spokesperson Gina Slaney said they are currently unsure how many homes had been damaged and how many people were injured, but at least two houses have been severely damaged.
A funnel cloud forming just north of Carstairs.
A funnel cloud forming just north of Carstairs. (Submitted by Jake Beck)
Environment and Climate Change Canada said in an earlier alert that meteorologists were tracking a severe thunderstorm that is producing a tornado.
"This is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation," the alert read.
2 kilometer-wide tornado damages homes near Didsbury
Severe weather North of Airdrie has produced a tornado which caused property damage and injuries. (Photo provided by Andre Short)Late on Saturday evening Didsbury RCMP confirmed that there were injuries and property damage.
According to police, 14 houses were affected by the tornado. Five houses were completely destroyed.
"Carstairs and Didsbury Fire were deployed to the scene as well as RCMP. One woman was trapped in her basement as her home was destroyed above her, but thankfully Carstairs Fire Department pulled her from the rubble and she only suffered minor injuries. No other people have been injured," police stated. "25 cows and 20 chickens are deceased and one horse needed to be put down."
According to previous reports from police, Mounties had received multiple reports of a large tornado in Mountain View County, near Highway 2, ranging from one to two kilometres wide.
Social media was flooded with residents from Crossfield, Carstairs, and Didsbury posting photos and videos of the tornado.
While Environment and Climate Change Canada had issued a tornado warning just before 2 p.m. on Saturday, encompassing the areas of Mountain View County near Olds and Didsbury, as well as near Carstairs and Stirlingville, at 2:45 p.m., the warning was downgraded to a tornado advisory. The advisory is still in effect for Mountain View County, Didsbury, Olds, and Carstairs.
According to Fortis Alberta, there are power outages in Mountain View County.
And according to Mountain View County's social media, there are road closures in effect. At approximately 3:42 p.m. the town stated that Highway 2A was closed between the Town of Carstairs and Westcott Road to allow for Emergency Service response and cleanup efforts. A little after 4 p.m. the County stated that a road closure was still in effect.
The Town of Carstairs is also advising residents that there are water restrictions in place.
Airdrie currently does not have a tornado warning or advisory in place.
This is a developing story and more information will be published when available.
No comments:
Post a Comment