Plow wind pulls roof off home in Briercrest, Sask.

The community of Briercrest, Sask. is working together to clean up after a wind storm wrecked havoc on homes in the area.

Briercrest, which is 45 km south of Moose Jaw, was hit by a strong plow wind Thursday afternoon. It tore branches off trees and even ripped the roof off a home. The homeowner is out of town.

Keith Anderson lives in the village of 120 people. Even though they have battled Mother Nature before, it was nothing compared to what they saw Thursday.

“This is tornado alley, really,” Anderson said. “It’s kind of devastating.”

The home’s roof was completely torn off by the wind. Part of the roof landed on Main Street, more than a block away from the home.

“It ripped just chunks right out of it, eight by eight, ten by ten, chunks all in one piece, went up in the air,” Anderson said.

Resident Gerald Noble could not believe what he saw.

“I think the wind just caught it and completely took it off,” he said.

Everyone in the community is shocked, but they joined together to replace and tarp the roof before the owner gets home.

“This is a community,” Noble said. “Farmers are all carpenters, so they just went to work and bought some lumber and put her back together.”

The powerful storm brought strong winds heavy rain, which caused damage to homes and businesses. Streets are littered with debris.

“Trees broke off, and leaves and branches are all over the place, and shingles – Lord knows where they’re coming from,” Anderson said.

There is still a lot of work to do, but the community will not give up until they clean up the town.