The tornado that ripped through the Alonsa area Aug. 3 is the most powerful tornado in the Prairies this year, according to Environment Canada.
It destroyed buildings, sent debris flying all over and claimed the life of 77-year-old Jack Furrie.
The tornado was one of eight confirmed to have touched down in Manitoba this year, according to preliminary numbers from Environment Canada. This hits the provincial average exactly, although last year only had one.
Saskatchewan had eight in one day July 10, part of the 19 confirmed in that province this year, while Alberta had two.
The agency points out that it’s still working to confirm a few more tornadoes in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and more tornadoes are still possible before winter arrives.
On 680 CJOB’s The Start, Alonsa Reeve Stan Asham explained how the clean-up process has gone in the weeks since the twister in Alonsa.
“The yards themselves have been cleaned up, as good as they can be. But the lake itself is being worked on as debris washes up on the shore,” Asham said.
“Private and pasture land will be ongoing for some time. Some farmers still haven’t found some of their smaller equipment, and right now with the leaves they can’t even fly a drone and see them.”
Asham expects the cleanup to last through the fall and into next year.
“Large pieces of buildings are still being found in the middle of large bush land. Metal from metal sheds is widely spread in the bush and probably in the lake, as well as demolished wooden buildings,” Asham explained.
“They’re spread far and wide, too. That’s not safe, even for the animals in the pastures. That’s a problem.”
The reeve said that bills are coming in to the RM, with the destruction path spread all over. But he said the RM has not received any financial commitment from the province or Ottawa to help with the cleanup.
“It was devastating. It’s going to take some time. It’s going to go on and on. We’re going to be finding stuff, probably for years.”
Russell Cabak was huddled in the basement of his cottage with over a dozen family members. He called it a miracle that they survived, but after 52 years of farming, he’s not enthusiastic about rebuilding.
“Everything was destroyed, all my cattle facilities were destroyed. I don’t have enough feed because the tornado took about half my hay and scattered it in the lake and in the bush and all over the place. We’ll wait and see what happens.”
Cabak said he had to deal with the 2011 flood as well.
WATCH: Touring the aftermath of the EF4 tornado near Alonsa
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