Parts of Uxbridge, Ont. in ruins after powerful storm
Three days after Uxbridge was hit by a powerful thunderstorm that reduced parts of the small Ontario town to rubble, Mayor Dave Barton says “there’s a lot of work to do.”
“The situation on the ground is dire,” Barton told CP24.
Cameras flying over the area Tuesday morning showed the damage from a bird’s-eye view.
Several buildings are missing their roofs. Full-grown trees have been bent over and cracked like toothpicks.
The town declared a state of emergency in the aftermath of the storm that claimed the lives of at least 10 people across Ontario and Quebec.
READ MORE: What you need to know about the clean up from Ontario's deadly storm
Barton said the town was “very fortunate” to not report any deaths as a result of the storm given the “devastation” in the area.
He said no one is unaccounted for at this time and any injuries that were reported are “very minor.”
“Stuff can be replaced. Trees will regrow. But the [emotional] damage to people, it’s a very different situation,” Barton said.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The town has submitted an application to the province for disaster relief funding. Premier Doug Ford toured the wreckage on Monday and called the weather event a “once-in-a-lifetime storm.”
“We will be there to support any community right across the province,” Ford said. “We are going to be there through municipal affairs.”
Elexicon Energy, which services Uxbridge, said as many as 5,000 homes are without power as of Tuesday morning as crews work to repair downed power lines and restore electricity.
At least 35 properties were severely damaged during the storm and engineers are on the ground to assess which buildings need to be torn down.
Notices were posted to those buildings which can’t be immediately reoccupied on Monday, according to Uxbridge Fire Chief Phil Alexander.
One of those buildings is the Second Wedge Brewery, which had just opened on the long weekend and now doesn’t have a roof.
“This was our opening weekend. We brewed beer to get that going. Now, we’re not going anywhere,” Robert Garrard, co-founder of Second Wedge Brewery, told CTV News Toronto.
“If it’s a tear down, our adjusters estimated it could be a year. Not sure what that means for us because I don’t think we can sustain a year.”
Ashley Woodhams is in a similar situation. The Uxbridge resident and her family were out of town during the storm, but returned to find what remained of their home in shambles.
“I'm going to guess they're going to tear it down. The walls are cracked. We have no windows left. The floors are shaky. We're just trying to get everything that’s of value to us and sentimental out,” Woodhams said.
In the meantime, Barton said that amid the devastation, residents -- many of whom are equipped with chainsaws to remove fallen trees -- are rallying together to repair the town.
“Every minute, we’re getting a little bit closer,” Barton said.
“We have three schools open today. Three are closed. We want our kids, we want all of our residents to be up and running once again.”
The cleanup effort is being supported by the Red Cross and all levels of government, Barton said.
The mayor is asking those who wish to travel from out of town to assist with the recovery to stay at home.
“We don’t need tourists right now. We’re trying to deal with this internally and we want as little traffic on our streets as we can.”
He said he expects the cleanup will last several weeks.
With files from Katherine DeClerq and Mike Walker
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to squash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer's disease
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer’s disease — in people who inherit two copies of a worrisome gene.
B.C. court date set for 3 accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three suspects accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year are scheduled to appear in court in Surrey on Tuesday.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.