Tornado: They are lucky to still be alive

News 17 October, 2017
  • Screenshot, VAT new
    Roofs blown off, pool blown out and garage destroyed were visible in the aftermath of the tornado.

    Murielle Yockell

    Monday, 16 October 2017 21:24

    UPDATE
    Monday, 16 October 2017 21:28

    Look at this article

    MONT-LAURIER | A canoe that goes through the window of a living room with a fireplace that falls through a roof and a garage collapsed. It is almost a miracle that the tornado that hit Sunday has injured a person.

    • READ ALSO: A tornado bore down on the Mont-Laurier

    To 16 h 20 Sunday afternoon, Nathalie Lépine was playing the computer on the second floor while his son and his spouse listened to a movie in the living room, on the ground floor, in their home in the chemin du Lac-Nadeau, Mont-Laurier in the Hautes-Laurentides.

    Photo special Collaboration, Murielle Yockell

    Keven Cloutier, Nathalie Lépine and Pascal Cloutier was still in shock in the aftermath of the tornado that ripped the roof off their residence.

    The wind rose suddenly. Hail claquaient on the windows.

    “It became milky white, and then black,” said Monday the son of Mrs. Lépine, Keven Cloutier. He shouted to his mother : ‘ Quick, mom ! It is a tornado ! “”

    Screenshots, TVA news

    Family Cloutier has seen the chimney of his residence to fall through the ceiling and the house was moved from its foundation.

    Ms. Lépine is then out of the room and down the stairs.

    Before getting down, she fell at the foot of the stairs. At the same time, the roof was swept away by the tornado and part of the chimney fell to where the woman stood seconds ago. This has created a gaping hole in the roof and broke through the ceiling, which fell in the kitchen.

    Tornado

    “When the roof fell, my mother would have been able to die. We had a good guardian angel on our side, ” said Keven Cloutier.

    Environment Canada confirmed that an F0 tornado, with winds of 115 to 130 km/h. In all, the horror lasted about five minutes.

    The Cloutier have not closed the eye of the night and were still in shock Monday.

    “The noise that it makes… It’s just that I remember when I close my eyes. I see the roof from, I hear the gusts, tearing of the roof, as someone who takes a crowbar and rips out the nails. The family felt sucked by the wind. One would have said that I patinais in my kitchen, ” reported Ms. Lepine.

    Garage collapsed

    When the tornado hit, Julie Butcher has tried to bring her children to the shelter. Spouse Eric Gaudreau was in a shed a few meters from the house, but the darkness was complete, and Mrs Butcher did not see what was happening there. She feared the worst when their garage collapsed. By chance, the shed has held up.

    Photo special Collaboration, Murielle Yockell

    Éric Gaudreau and Julie Butcher feel very lucky, despite the damage their property has suffered.

    On the other side of the street, Lucy Lauzon saw the canoe of his neighbors to smash the window of his living room while the wind to rip up the front door and opened the windows. Fortunately, the two women were not in front of the window and they were able to shelter in the basement.

    Screenshots, TVA news

    Éric Gaudreau and Julie Boucher have had quite a scare. Mr. Gaudreau was in the hangar to the right when the garage collapsed.

    In all, six homes were damaged.