Many of the 603 displaced residents from two Manitoba First Nations will start returning to their homes in the next few days. They’ve been out of their communities since a tornado left a trail of destruction four days ago.
The Canadian Red Cross says the 58 people evacuated from the Dakota Tipi First Nation will leave their temporary accommodations at a Winnipeg Holiday Inn to return home on Sunday afternoon. The larger group of evacuees from neighbouring Long Plain First nation are expected to start returning on Monday, once damage assessments in the area are complete.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale 1 (EF 1) tornado ripped the roofs off houses, tossed parked cars, downed power lines, and yanked trees out of the ground as it tore through the two communities near Winnipeg Wednesday evening.
Environment Canada said the tornado touched down for between 10 and 15 minutes, moving at a pace of between 30 and 50 km/h. Early estimates suggest 47 building were impacted, most of them residential. No injuries have been reported.
The Canadian Red Cross says some of Long Plain’s homes were completely destroyed. Many were badly damaged by the tornado, and then flooded by rain water and broken sewage lines.
“There will probably be a number of families who will be out for the longer term,” said Shawn Feely, the Red Cross vice-president in Manitoba. “That could be up to six months.”
Freely said some of the evacuees are still wary of the weather. Many spent the weekend anxiously watching the skies from their hotel rooms.
“They are nervous. There were some dark clouds that were forming yesterday. Winds were picking up a little bit and fairly heavy rain,” he said.
Volunteers and residents have already started to repair the damage in Long Plain, but some say the community their evacuated neighbours will return to won’t be the same any time soon.
“Everything looks different now, the way all the trees are gone,” volunteer firefighter Warren Merrick told CTV Winnipeg.
Running water has been restored, but the community remains under a boil water advisory. The Red Cross has brought in 24,000 liters of bottled water and will provide food, shelter, and hygiene kits to those in need.
Freely said the Red Cross of Canada will also provide gas cards to evacuees and will continue to offer support during the resettlement process. St. John Ambulance is also on the scene to provide first aid to volunteers helping with the rebuilding effort.
“We will be supporting the long term evacuees until they get home,” said Freely. “If it’s a month or six months, we will be supporting them all the way through.”
By: Jeff Lagerquist, CTVNews.ca Staff Published Sunday, July 24, 2016 4:57PM EDT Last Updated Sunday, July 24, 2016 6:49PM EDT
Photo: By CTV Winnipeg “Volunteers are out in force to help Long Plain First Nation clean up after a tornado hit down in the area on Wednesday”
