A possible tornado touched down in the Laurentians on Tuesday, ripping through the town of Harrington and causing severe damage. While luckily no one was injured, the community is left to deal with the aftermath. Environment and Climate Change Canada says the storm hit between 5 and 6 p.m. On Wednesday, broken trees littered the streets. Gabrielle Parr, the town’s mayor, says many local roads were unpassable. “We have 66 per cent of our roads that are affected by trees,” Parr said. Hydro lines were also downed, leaving hundreds without power. Environment Canada isn’t able to confirm yet but believes a tornado touched down in the area. “We were in a very warm and unstable air mass, which led to the formation of multiple thunderstorms and severe thunderstorms,” said meteorologist Kate Leclerc. That’s exactly what Donna Hynes thought it was going to be — just a thunderstorm. But when she got the tornado warning on her phone, she acted quickly. “We ran into the basement. I think it lasted about 10 minutes, but we just kept hearing falling trees. It was very scary,” said Hynes, who lives in the area. Trees are scattered all over her property, damaging parked cars and her roof. “I’m still shaking … nobody was hurt. That’s all I can say. I’m grateful,” she said. With the help of her community, the clean-up has already begun.
