SUMMARY
- A sizable tornado, stretching between one and two kilometers wide, ravaged Mountain View County near Didsbury, Alta. on Canada Day, damaging multiple homes.
- The twister resulted in the destruction of five houses, with no reported human casualties, but the tragic loss of animal life includes 25 cows, 20 chickens and one horse.
- Amidst terrifying experiences of local residents and the extensive damage caused, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his concern via a tweet.
On the occasion of Canada Day, a tornado descended upon Mountain View County, close to Didsbury, Alta., wreaking havoc on several homes on a Saturday afternoon. A release from Didsbury RCMP at 2:33 p.m. revealed the fearsome event of a sizeable tornado touching ground, with its expanse ranging between one and two kilometers wide.
As night fell, it was reported by Mounties that 14 households fell prey to the ravaging twister. Five of those were completely annihilated. Emergency respondents made their presence felt, providing assistance throughout the day. A woman, unfortunately caught in her basement during the tornado's attack, was successfully rescued. Apart from minor injuries, she emerged unscathed. There were no other reported human casualties. However, the tornado did claim lives in the animal kingdom, with 25 cows and 20 chickens perishing, and a horse that had to be put down.
Catherine Littlechild, who witnessed the tornado whilst purchasing fireworks at a gas station in Carstairs, described the initially small, then rapidly expanding funnel of terror. The sky was enveloped in darkness, and a storm of dust, dirt and asphalt fragments assailed them.
Melissa Boucher, manager of the Little Blue Camper campground near Didsbury, found herself dangerously close to the twister. The proximity, the rapidly descending hail the size of fists, and the funnel clouds made for a truly terrifying experience. The tornado's touchdown happened in a southern part of town, primarily populated with homes and farms. Boucher remarked on the large amount of shredded vegetation in Didsbury post-storm, the flood of leaves in the streets, and the significant rainfall.
The sudden summer storm's wrath was not limited to the destruction of homes and the tragic loss of animal lives. Several vehicles sustained hail damage. Local resident, Justin Duncalf, compared the unusual spectacle to something straight out of a movie.
Environment Canada issued an update at 2:23 p.m., reporting the tornado to be southeast of Didsbury, progressing at 30 km/h. Earlier, a tornado warning was issued for communities in Mountain View County, including Carstairs, Didsbury, Olds and Stirlingville. By 4 p.m., the severe storm watch and tornado warnings for the area had ended.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his concern via a tweet. Didsbury is a small town of approximately 5,000 residents, situated 82 kilometers north of Calgary.
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