The storms that battered Canada on Saturday (21st) left at least five dead and damaged the fabric of towns in the Ontario region.
There is also a group of casualties, according to a weather service report, and at least 350,000 people were left without power due to damage to the transmission grid.
“A very strong series of storms developed near Sarnia late Saturday morning and moved northeast across southern Ontario towards Ottawa on Saturday afternoon. Wind gusts were reported over much of southern Ontario as the severe storms rolled by,” the preliminary report said.
Winds reached more than 130 km/h, knocking down poles, uprooting trees and destroying houses. Local residents shared pictures of the damage on social media with #ONStorm at the request of the weather service. (see below)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke on social media on Sunday.
“The storms that swept through Ontario and Quebec yesterday caused severe damage, claimed many lives and left many without power. Our thoughts are with everyone affected and we thank the teams working to restore power — we stand ready to provide federal assistance if needed,” Trudeau said.