Several homes were damaged and at least one was destroyed when a tornado swept through Waywayseecappo First Nation Monday night.
“There was lots of hail … lots of debris flying around in the air,” Denise Cloud, who lives in Waywayseecappo, told CBC News.
Environment Canada meteorologist Dan Fulton confirmed a tornado touched down in Waywayseecappo, about 280 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
A tornado warning was issued for the First Nation and surrounding communities earlier in the evening.
Fulton added that another, more short-lived tornado touched down in Binscarth, about 330 kilometres west of Winnipeg, and a third “probably” touched down southwest of Rossburn, Man.
Fulton said it’s too soon to say exactly how large the tornadoes were. A tornado is classified after the fact based on the level of damage left in its wake.
“It took that trailer and roofs off some of the houses, it was so intense,” Cloud said referring to the violent winds that upended a school bus down the street from where she lives.
Eric Mentuck has lived in Waywayseecappo for about 10 years and said at least nine homes in his neighbourhood were damaged by the tornado. At least one was “completely destroyed,” he added.
While he isn’t sure how many people were forced to leave their homes, Mentuck said some members of the community have been put up in rooms at the Russell Inn just west of the First Nation.
The Canadian Red Cross is helping to provide food, lodging and other resources to help people in Waywayseecappo displaced by the storm.
By Bryce Hoye, CBC News Posted: Aug 08, 2016 8:29 PM CT Last Updated: Aug 08, 2016 8:43 PM CT
Photo: By Denise Cloud “Winds were so strong they damaged roofs of homes and upended this school bus.”
