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Danielle Miles recalls a day she won’t soon forget, finding herself right in the middle of the fierce storm that swept through Eastern Ontario on Tuesday afternoon.
“The tornado hit very suddenly,” said the Verona, Ont., resident. “The tornado warning didn’t come until after it already hit; it was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“The winds picked up within a minute and I’ve never seen winds and rains as hard as it came.”
Once the storm passed, the full scope of the destruction became apparent. Huge pine trees – some over 100 feet tall – had either been snapped or uprooted all around her property near Verona.
“They’re so big and I’ve never seen damage like this before,” Miles continued. “And knowing that every single one of them had fallen down, and every single one has been uprooted or snapped in some capacity, my first thought was just the mess and destruction that happened.”
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Even with all the damage, Miles says her family feels lucky that no one got hurt, and their house only experienced minor issues.
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The storm’s impact reached far beyond Miles’ property. Just over 10 km away in Harrowsmith, the local cemetery was filled with large uprooted trees and extensive damage-a clear sign of the storm’s immense power.
In Kingston, city crews have cleared high-priority hazards and reopened all roads. Officials indicate that cleanup efforts for trees and debris are expected to go on into next week.
For now, Miles says they’re focusing on cleaning up and starting their insurance claims process.
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“We’re just working through all those processes now, and we’ll see when the time comes,” Miles said. “We’ve gotten through all the processes and now it’s just a waiting game.”
A survey team from the Northern Tornadoes Project at the Canadian Severe Storms Lab has been sent out to assess the situation. They are expected to arrive Thursday night to investigate a path of damage stretching from Verona to Kingston to determine if a tornado actually touched down.
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