Ontario Premier Doug Ford visits Ottawa area in the wake of devastating tornadoes

OTTAWA – Ontario Premier Doug Ford has arrived in the Ottawa neighbourhood hardest hit by a pair of tornadoes that snapped power lines and levelled homes on Friday.

Ford was accompanied by city Mayor Jim Watson as he toured houses ravaged by the twister that tore through the community of Dunrobin before jumping the Ottawa River to Gatineau, Que.

READ MORE: Ottawa, Gatineau reeling after tornado tears through communities

WATCH: Doug Ford pledges support in wake of Ottawa tornado

Meantime, hydro crews are working to untangle and repair fallen power lines and restore electricity to the region.

The national weather agency says a powerful EF-3 category twister – with winds that reached 265 kilometres per hour – ripped through Dunrobin, about 35 kilometres west of the downtown area, before moving on to Gatineau.

WATCH: People pick up the pieces after Ottawa-Gatineau tornadoes

Doug Ford meets with people impacted by Ottawa tornadoes, Red Cross volunteers

01:03

Doug Ford meets with people impacted by Ottawa tornadoes, Red Cross volunteers

02:46

Emergency responders search through damaged homes for Ottawa residents’ items

02:26

Massive cleanup operation in Ottawa after two tornadoes

02:58

‘It’s pretty devastating’: Homeowners in Ottawa speaks about losing home after tornado hits region

01:29

Rarity of tornadoes in Canada in September

00:34

Drivers look on at apparent tornado, explosion in Gatineau

00:37

‘Charlie’ the beagle pulled from rubble after tornado touches down in Ottawa neighbourhood

00:53

Drone surveys damage from tornado that touched down in Dunrobin

00:28

Woman left in shock after tornado appears to pass over car in Quebec

01:10

Golfball-size hail hits Ottawa neighbourhood as storm, tornado rolls through

01:37

People picking up the pieces after tornado rips through Ottawa neighbourhood

01:43

Homes left in pieces after tornado blows through Ottawa neighbourhood

02:02

People left homeless after tornado strikes Ottawa area and Quebec

00:21

Trees uprooted, cars damaged as tornado touches down in Gatineau

The agency said that at almost the same time a second, slightly less powerful twister, touched down in the south Ottawa neighbourhood of Arlington Woods.

The twin tornadoes caused massive damage obliterating dozens of homes, tossing vehicles around, snapping huge trees and injuring several people, at least two of whom were admitted to hospital in critical condition.

At one point more than 200,000 hydro customers were blacked out, but as of Sunday morning, the Hydro Ottawa and Hydro Quebec websites reported the number had been reduced to fewer than 80,000 – 70,000 in the Ottawa area and 8,300 in the Outaouais region, which encompasses Gatineau.

READ MORE: Here’s what we know about possible cost of the Ottawa-Gatineau tornado

The Ontario government announced Saturday that it was activating the province’s Disaster Recovery Assistance program in affected areas, while the Quebec government announced it would give the Red Cross $1 million to help with relief efforts.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also tweeted Saturday that he’d spoken with the mayors of Ottawa and Gatineau to offer federal assistance.