Morgan Lowrie
The 91原创 Press
MASCOUCHE, Que. 鈥� Residents of a town north of Montreal on Tuesday were clearing out tree branches and twisted debris scattered by a deadly tornado that tore through the community and killed one of their neighbours.
The tornado Monday afternoon carved a destructive path through a residential neighbourhood of Mascouche, Que., snapping mature trees in half, tearing chunks out of roofs and ripping one home under construction off its foundation.
A man died after taking shelter in his shed, while two other people were injured when the tornado touched down. The Quebec coroner鈥檚 office identified the victim as 59-year-old Jacques Lefebvre.
Michel Vachon said he and Lefebvre, a grandfather, had been outside behind their homes building a small bridge when they saw the tornado approach.
鈥淲hen it came, it came too fast. We didn鈥檛 have time to do nothing,鈥� he said in an interview. 鈥淚 lost my friend. He went this way, and I (went) in my home and had just the time to close the door.鈥�
Vachon said he鈥檇 been friends with Lefebvre for 30 years, and would remember him as someone who was always ready to help others. 鈥淓verybody liked him,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a very good neighbour.鈥�
The field behind their homes was littered with debris that included pieces of wood, vinyl siding, bicycles and lawn mowers. Vachon said his neighbour鈥檚 body was found in the field, dozens of metres from where he was last seen. In the middle of the field, a pot of red flowers sat on a torn piece of plywood, with a note attached that began: 鈥淗ey Jacques, thank you for everything. Rest in peace.鈥�
Environment Canada says a thunderstorm cell at around 3:45 p.m. generated the tornado. Meteorologists who surveyed the damage Monday evening say their preliminary findings suggest the tornado鈥檚 maximum wind speeds measured between 180 and 200 km/h, consistent with an EF2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The scale rates wind damage between zero and five, with five being the strongest.
Residents interviewed Tuesday described a sudden, roaring wind, and a fast-moving black funnel cloud that picked up anything loose in its path and threw it blocks away. Sophie Michaud was out in her backyard, taking stock of a topsy-turvy scene that included a trampoline on her shed. She said her partner had been firing up the barbecue when the wind picked up, and he had just enough time to get inside.
鈥淗e closed the door and we just saw the barbecue fly in the air, the trampoline flew onto the house,鈥� said Michaud. 鈥淚t happened in a fraction of a second.鈥�
Despite some roof damage and a tree that smashed through the windshield of her SUV, she鈥檚 relieved that she, her partner and her three children are all safe after a scary experience. She says her neighbour, who was hospitalized, wasn鈥檛 so lucky.
Across the street, half a full-sized tree sat in the swimming pool of Johny Pierre鈥檚 home, which was missing most of the shingles on the roof. 鈥淚t was terrible,鈥� Pierre said. 鈥淚t was like everything was flying.鈥�
Pierre said that while his home and backyard are heavily damaged, it could have been worse. He says his young son goes for a swim every day after school, and could easily have been in the pool had the tornado come just a bit later. 鈥淲hen I learned my wife and my son were safe I said, 鈥榃e can repair the home, we can repair the car,鈥� 鈥� he said.
Mascouche Mayor Guillaume Tremblay said late Monday the city was caught off guard by the twister, but its emergency response plan was quickly put into action and worked well. A spokesperson for the town says nearly 100 buildings were damaged.
The Red Cross had said it was preparing to help between 50 and 100 people access food, clothing and temporary shelter. The agency says far fewer people will be requiring assistance going forward.
A spokesman for Hydro-Qu茅bec said 40 of its crews were on scene and they hoped to restore power later Tuesday or Wednesday. He said some 20 poles had to be replaced and countless tree branches and mangled power lines needed to be hauled away.
Environment Canada had issued severe thunderstorm watches for many areas of southern and central Quebec on Monday because of high humidity and high temperatures. The agency says damage reports from other parts of the province are being analyzed.
This report by The 91原创 Press was first published June 22, 2021.