Municipal officials in West Grey continue to deal with the aftermath of a suspected tornado that hit Durham.
Bayshore Broadcasting News Reporter James Morgan toured the devastation last night — and tells us Council moved quickly to get the community back to normal.
The municipality of West Grey moved quickly last night to declare a state of emergency after a suspected tornado hit the town of Durham just before 4 PM.
Deputy Mayor Dan Sullivan says the public should to stay away from the parts of Durham where there is extensive damage.
Sullivan says municipal crews are on top of the situation but they need room to get the job done.
Those areas include the industrial park in the town’s south side and the conservation area at the east end.
At the industrial park, the Thuro-Web building along with at least three others were destroyed and many trees were uprooted or broken off.
Police have also confirmed that one person was killed — an 11 year old boy who was at a day camp at the Conservation Area
Six other people were sent to hospital with injuries — only one person was kept for observation overnight.
A few residents also stayed at an emergency shelter at the Durham Legion overnight — and it will remain open for anyone who may have lost their home.
Sullivan notes the community is already pulling together and neighbours are helping each other clean up their yards.
Sullivan says the state of emergency allows them to get help from Emergency Management Ontario.
But he thinks West Grey can manage at this point through mutual aid agreements with neighbouring municipalities.
Sullivan says a representative from the provincial agency is in touch with West Grey, and is the same individual who worked with the community during the flood in 1997.
However, he says it’s early, and the need for provincial help could arise.
Sullivan says the path of the storm was so narrow, he was thankful to see it avoided most of the town, but he says it’s still difficult to see the damage.