Storm at northern Ont. park likely caused millions in damage

It has been a little over two weeks since a monster of a storm ripped through Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park, just west of Mattawa, Ont., downing trees and trapping campers.

Since then, investigators with the Northern Tornadoes Project have determined a strong downburst caused the damage and not a tornado.

The cleanup process is ongoing, but’s going to be a while before things are back to anything close to normal.

This week, Warren Verina, the park’s superintendent, took CTV News on a tour of the park to see the damage first-hand.

It’s an eerie feeling inside the campground. Thousands and thousands of trees were toppled by strong winds and heavy rainfall.

“The scope and scale are hard to fathom,” Verina said.

The park’s two campgrounds -- Babawasse and Jingwakoki -- bore the brunt of the storm.

Campers forced to flee left behind tents, trailers and vehicles. One pickup truck had extensive windshield damage with branches through the glass. A trailer had part of its front collapsed in from fallen trees.

A nearby washroom facility, Verina said, was a safe haven for some campers who used it to shelter in place while the storm barrelled through.

“This is the first major storm event that I’ve been part of and I’ve been with Ontario Parks for about 19 seasons,” he said.

Deeper into the campground is the Canadian Ecology Centre, where all 19 of the centre’s cabins were damaged by fallen trees.

Assistant general manager Laura Kielpinski said the campground will begin removing the debris starting Wednesday. Then, staff can start getting a closer look at the extent of the damage.

“Some with trees that have gone through the roof, some have dents,” Kielpinski said.

“Our water system roof actually got kind of tilted off its foundation. So that will have to be fully replaced. But it looks like not too much damage inside.”

About a dozen Ontario Parks staff members are helping subcontractors with campsite assessment as tree removal.

Safety first

“The first priority is the safety of everybody and the safety of the site,” Kielpinski said.

“You just can’t go anywhere. Any access point to water or trails is all tree-covered.”

Ontario Parks is in contact with campers, updating them about when it will be safe for them to return to pick up their vehicles and other belongings.

“Jingwakoki Campground is still to be determined,” Verina said.

“But we’re hopeful in the coming weeks to be able to gain access to Jingwakoki.”

In total, around 300 campers were evacuated from the park and the nearby Kiosk Campground with the help of emergency responders and volunteers across the weekend of June 21-22.

No one was killed, but there were several injuries, ranging from minor to serious.

The nearby Town of Mattawa, east of the park, came to the rescue, setting up an evacuation centre for campers at the arena.

Verina said some parts of the park could reopen by early to mid-August. But that’s only if cleanup timelines remain on schedule.

“In all reality, there’s a lot of work that would have to happen between now and then to reopen,” he said.

“We do anticipate further impacts to people’s vacations this summer. But we are working as quickly as possible.”

While there’s no damage price tag available at this time, Ontario Parks’ best guess is that it’s likely well into the millions of dollars.

“We appreciate everybody’s patience,” Verina added.