Nearly 900,000 homes in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec were left without power as windblown trees killed several Canadians.
Four people have died and nearly 900,000 homes are without power after severe storms hit the east Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Ontario police said three people were killed and several others injured in the severe storm. Images posted on social media across the province showed debris-strewn streets and toppled trees that damaged homes and cars.
A man was killed when a tree fell on the trailer he was staying in on Saturday. Meanwhile, according to Peel Regional Police, a woman in her 70s has died after being struck by a tree in the city of Brampton.
“The woman was transported to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries,” the organization posted on Twitter.
Downed trees and overturned cars #ONstorm #news @weathernetwork pic.twitter.com/zCP0ljHNhL
— Adam Safaoui (@adam_safaoui) May 21, 2022
The storm was severe enough that Environment Canada issued intrusive emergency alerts that were sent to radio and television stations and mobile phones.
In the federal capital, Ottawa, another person was killed by the storm, but local police declined to give further details.
The fourth victim was a woman in her 50s. She drowned when her boat capsized in the Ottawa River, which separates Ottawa and Quebec, during the storm, national broadcaster CBC reported, citing local police.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said staff were “assessing damage and threats on the ground.”
“We have a full complement of hydro and city crews clearing roads and restoring power. This was a massive storm and we ask for your patience,” he tweeted.
‘destructive storm’
In the city of Kitchener, Ontario, wind gusts up to 132 km/h were recorded, according to Environment Canada, while wind gusts of up to 120 km/h were observed in Toronto and Ottawa.
Nearly 900,000 homes in the two provinces were left without power on Saturday night, according to online tallies by local providers Hydro One and Hydro-Quebec.
“We anticipate it will take several days to restore power after today’s destructive storm,” Hydro One said.
Environment Canada meteorologist Daniel Liota said that while wind gusts of such speeds are not that rare in isolated microbursts, the storm was unusual because it covered such a large geographic area.
“It was a big deal. It’s their top echelon of thunderstorms,” he said, quoted by the Canadian Press.