Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 8, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba By Jen Skerritt and David Kuxhaus g Ull Lake Manitoba has no Quick Way to Alert people when tornadoes Are minutes away from slamming into heavily populated areas. The Lack of warning has been cited repeatedly in the aftermath of saturdays storm that ripped through Gull Lake Lac Dubonnet and Pointe Dubois killing a woman and injuring dozens of other. Manitoba has talked for years about a better disaster warning system. But that was Small Consolation on saturday night when tornadoes hit. We never knew this was coming it was unexpected said Gull Lake trailer owner Horace Medeiros. When wind Tore out his Patio umbrella he grabbed his three grandsons told them to get on the floor and shielded them from the fierce winds with his own body. Medeiros said a woman who was killed 64 year old Winnipeg Ger Elfrieda Visser was his Friend. He said the Campground was like one big family and the loss of a fellow cottage is far sadder than the destruction of property at Gull Lake. A total of 12 people were taken to Hospital including Vissers husband who is now listed in stable condition. In Manitoba on saturday the first Tornado warning was issued at 5 44 p. M. 25 minutes after a Tornado had already touched Down at Gull Lake. Unlike other places including Alberta Manitoba has no province wide Public warning in place to warn of a natural disaster. Environment Canada has up to Date weather watches and warnings online and relies on sending press releases to Media outlets to broadcast severe weather warnings. There is no provision for the reality that some Media might not immediately notice a press release in the critical few minutes after the first sighting of a Tornado. In Alberta by comparison the province gave officials the authority to briefly take Over the electronic Media. After a 1987 twister in Edmonton killed 27 people Alberta created an emergency warning system that alerts the Public of anything from severe weather to Oil spills through radio and television stations. Environment Canada has the authority to interrupt broadcasts across the province in extreme circumstances. Manitoba has lobbied Ottawa for the past several years to set up a National Public Alert system. Chuck Sanderson executive director of emergency measures organization said it would link different techno Liges allowing warnings to be text messaged on cell phones and issued on to radio and the internet. Its estimated such a system would Cost about $ 90 million. Sanderson said its hard to say if it would have made a difference saturday night Given How quickly tornadoes can appear but added that any extra warning helps. Cottagers who fled for cover at Gull Lake and Pointe Dubois said they had Only a few seconds or no warning at All before the Swath hit. The windows started vibrating like hell said Gordon Turcan one of the owners of Kendall Point Lodge in Pointe Dubois. There was no warning. Boom. That was it. Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist Brad Shannon said the weather office typically uses reports from on the ground weather spotters to confirm whether a Tornado has touched Down before they Issue a warning. Although doppler radar an instrument used to measure the Speed and direction of a moving object such As wind can Tell meteorologists if the storm is rotating Shannon said that does not necessarily mean the storm cell will sprout any tornadoes. If we use radar As the Only predictor wed be crying Wolf an awful lot he said. On saturday the first Tornado report was called in at 5 19 p. M. At Patricia Beach. Since tornadoes can touch the ground for a Mere few seconds or potentially an hour Shannon said meteorology staff was trying to determine whether the storm cell was intensifying or weakening before issuing any Tornado warnings. The Gull Lake event had already happened so issuing a warning solely on that the door was closed he said. The Issue was what do we do next. The Tornado that struck the Gull Lake area saturday had wind speeds ranging from 181 pm h to 252 pm h As it Cut a 200 metre wide path through the Campground according to an initial assessment by environment Canada. The weather Agency said its wind Speed classifies it As an f2 or considerable Tornado. F2 tornadoes account for about 24 per cent of All tornadoes and typically result in roofs blown off Homes Sheds and outbuildings demolished and Mobile Homes overturned. Yesterday Shannon said storm investigation Crews believe the Tornado lifted up before touching Down in Mcarthur Falls and the Eastern part of Lac Dubonnet including tall Timber Lodge. Although environment Canada Crews a vent done an Aerial assessment yet they initially classified the Tornado As an f1 based on structural damage. Shannon said a new warning system is something to consider along with More Public outreach to educate people what severe weather looks like and what to do if a bad storm hits. He said the weather office is looking into How weather warnings could be sent to tech gadgets like cell phones and pagers and give the Public another Way to stay informed. Recently the crts approved a National 511 phone system to offer free Access to the latest weather information and warnings across the country. The system should be up and running by 2007. Jen. Skerritt free press. My. Ca. David. Kuxhaus free press. My. Ca a6 Winnipeg free press tuesday August 8, 2006 Winnipeg repress. Com Tornado aftermath if it were at night it would have killed a lot of people. Petersfield Beausejour Teulon Gimli Selkirk Pinawa Pointe Dubois grand Marais East Selkirk lunar Inwood Patricia Beach Gull Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg Lake Manitoba 1 1 15 Portage la Prairie 11 12 44 313 11 44 59 12 11 6 6 17 7 7 317 Victoria Beach Lac Dubonnet Mcarthur Falls n cottagers had Only a few seconds to take cover environment Canadas weather warnings on saturday 2 49 p. M. A severe thunderstorm watch issued for area including grand Beach and Lac Dubonnet. The watch said potential thunderstorms could produce Large Hail damaging winds and could become More severe. 5 06 p. M. A severe thunderstorm warning issued for area North of Stead which includes Gull Lake. The warning said severe thunderstorms could occur along with the possibility of tornadoes Walnut size Hail and 100 pm h winds. 5 19 p. M. The first reports of a Tornado at Patricia Beach near Gull Lake Are called in to environment Canada. 5 21 p. M. Severe thunderstorm warnings issued for grand Beach pm of Victoria Beach and pm of St. Clements. 5 44 p. M. A Tornado warning issued for pm of Lac Dubonnet. 6 p. M. Reports of Tornado touching Down in Lac Dubonnet. 6 21 p. M. A severe thunderstorm warning issued for Pointe Dubois. Chronology of a storm most strike in july. There Are about eight tornadoes in Manitoba each year. July is the most frequent month for tornadoes which Are most Likely to occur Between 6 p. M. And Midnight. In 1977 a Tornado in Rosa ripped a Home from its foundation and carried it several Hundred metres killing two of the occupants. In 1984 tornadoes Over Lake Winnipeg picked up water forming waterspouts at least 300 metres High. In 1955 a Tornado nearly wiped out the Community of Vita. In 1942 a Tornado in Killarney lifted Straw from Farmers Fields. The Straw later fell with rain. No Way to sound alarm Boris Minkevich / Winnipeg free press Gordon Turcan stands in ruins of Kendall Point Lodge. John Woods / Canadian press Clayton Taylor gathers belongings from the remains of his trailer destroyed by a Tornado at Gull Lake. We never knew this was coming it was unexpected a said Horace Medeiros. Five places where Tornado touched Down ;