Elora residents dealing with storm damage

Cleanup is underway after a fast-moving summer storm swept across southwestern Ontario Wednesday evening.

Tornado warnings were in place for several areas, including southern Wellington County around 6 p.m.

Elora, Salem, Fergus and Elmira appear to have borne the brunt of the storm, with Environment Canada reporting extensive tree damage, downed power lines and utility outages in those communities. The national weather agency's latest damage survey suggests an EFO downburst brought winds near 130 km/h to the Elora area. No injuries have been reported from the storm.

“I looked to the sky and I saw that the clouds were swirling,” Elora resident Rick Almeida said.

“You couldn't see 10 feet in front of you.”

It’s not clear yet if a tornado touched down in Wellington County, but a crew from the Northern Tornados Project was out Thursday surveying the damage.

In Elora, large trees, some nearly 100 years old, were either damaged or ripped right out of the ground around a four-block radius near Water and McNab streets.

The roof of this Elora home was damaged by a falling tree. (Krista Sharpe/CTV News)

Jodi Allward lives in the area. She described rushing to the basement after seeing the tornado warning around 5:45 p.m.

“I came out of my office. I could not see out of this door,” Allward said. “So grabbed my dog and thought, ‘basement time.’”

Her husband Doug Clarke explained how a falling tree nicked the couples’ roof.

“The wind came over the house, and from what the neighbours have said it [the tree] was twisting around and came down on the road, as you can see,” said Clarke.

Crews deal with wreckage left behind by the storm. (Krista Sharpe/CTV Kitchener)

Nearby, the Grand River Conservation Authority has closed the Elora Gorge Conservation Area after a number of trees and branches fell making it unsafe for the public.

The conservation authority says it currently has up to 50 staff in the park helping with cleanup, and expects the conservation area to reopen for day-use, tubing and camping at 8 a.m. Friday, with heavily damaged areas remaining closed this weekend.

“We do have a lot of trees that have hanging branches and those sorts of things, so with the winds even continuing now, they could fall down and injure people on trails or campsites,” said Ben Rosenbrugh, Elora Gorge and Quarry Supervisor.

Elora Gorge Conservation Area will reopen for day-use, tubing, and camping on Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.

Limited areas that were heavily impacted will remain closed this weekend.

For updates on the status of Grand River Conservation Areas, visit https://t.co/Ruvi7VFSKg. pic.twitter.com/lLgVYhYkP4

— Grand River Conservation Authority (@grandriverca) August 4, 2022

The storm knocked out power in the park and for hundreds living in the area.

“It didn’t come on until 3:30 this morning when I was awakened by a TV that I had left on,” said Elora resident Billy Kyle.

Cleanup crews in Elora and Salem were forced to temporarily pause on Thursday as more thunderstorms rolled through the area. Work is expected to continue for the next few days.

My first timelapse was a lil shaky. This was 5:45pm between Fergus and Arthur looking towards Alma #ONStorm pic.twitter.com/raYMOQ0Clt

— alysha (@alyshamill) August 3, 2022

A large tree limb fell on a vehicle on McNab Street in Elora. (Dan Lauckner/CTV News)

#onstorm more big trees down Elora Salem area. Extensive power outage in area @westernuNTP @ECCCWeatherON @weathernetwork pic.twitter.com/mGHi0fXfX4

— Kirk MacDonald (@KirkMacDonald5) August 3, 2022

Utility poles were damaged during the storm. (Krista Sharpe/CTV News)

Members of Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project survey damage in Elora after Wednesday’s storm. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)

Downed trees in Elora. (Krista Sharpe/CTV News)