It’s been 20 years since a devastating tornado ripped through central Alberta, killing 12 people and injuring 100 others.
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On July 14, 2000, a deadly F3 tornado tore through approximately 10 kilometres of the Green Acres Campground on Pine Lake.
The tornado began as a thunderstorm west of Pine Lake, a community about 50 kilometres southeast of Red Deer. It quickly grew into the Category 3 tornado, hitting the Green Acres Campground with wind speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour.
The tornado uprooted trees, flattened vehicles and hurled RVs into the water.
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Weather warnings were issued by Environment Canada that day, but at the time, the provincial warning system only covered Calgary and Edmonton. Central Alberta and other regions have since been added and other improvements have been made.
Over the years, the Pine Lake campground was redesigned with the impact of the disaster in mind.
The campground also built a memorial park surrounded by 12 trees to commemorate those who lost their lives that day.
Below are images of the devastation caused by the tornado and the days that followed.
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Green Acres Campground, seen in this aerial view Saturday, July 15, 2000, 60 kilometres southeast of Red Deer Alta., after a tornado touched down in the area Friday evening.
CP PHOTO/Dave Olecko)
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Prime Minister Jean Chretien talks with reporters in front of the Green Acres campground in Pine Lake, Alta., Tuesday July 18, 2000.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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A victim service volunteer looks on as trailer owners console each other during their first visit to the Green Acres campground Wednesday July 19, 2000 in Pine Lake, Alta. The trailer park was hit by a tornado last Friday.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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Prime Minister Jean Chretien personally thanks Search and Rescue personnel for their efforts at the Green Acres campground Tuesday July 18, 2000 in Pine Lake, Alta. Chretien toured the area which was hit by a tornado Friday evening.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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Rescue workers use steel saws to cut apart the remains of trailers as they searce for survivers in Green Acres Campground 60 kilometres southeast of Red Deer Alta., Saturday, July 15, after a tornado touched down in the area Friday evening.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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A tow truck operator prepares a vehicle to be removed from the Green Acres campground in Pine Lake, Alta., Monday July 17, 2000.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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A search and rescue worker prepares a crushed pick-up truck for removal from the Green Acres campground in Pine Lake, Alta, Monday July 17, 2000.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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A woman looks back at her truck as she is escorted by search and rescue and RCMP personnel out of the restricted area at the Green Acres campground at Pine Lake, Sunday July 16, 2000. The area was devastated after being hit by a tornado Friday evening.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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Military and rescue officials escort Prime Minister Jean Chretien, centre, as he tours the devastated remains of Green Acres campground, in Pine Lake, Alta., Tuesday July 18, 2000.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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Green Acres Campground, seen in this aerial view Saturday, July 15, 2000, 60 kilometres southeast of Red Deer Alta., after a tornado touched down in the area Friday evening.
CP PHOTO/Dave Olecko
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Green Acres Campground and Pine Lake are seen in this aerial view Saturday, July 15, 2000, 60 kilometres southeast of Red Deer Alta., after a tornado touched down in the area Friday evening.
CP PHOTO/Dave Olecko
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Shaun Anderson reaches for a piece of plywood as he helps build a home along the shores of Pine Lake, Alta., Saturday July 7, 2001. The deadly tornado took only minutes to tear through a central Alberta campground and claim 12 lives, but its devastation will last a lifetime.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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A motorboat cruises past the Green Acres campground which was devastated by a tornado, almost one year ago, Saturday July 7, 2001 in Pine Lake, Alta. The deadly tornado took only minutes to tear through a central Alberta campground and claim 12 lives, but its devastation will last a lifetime.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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A speed boat skims the water almost one year after a tornado ripped through the Green Acres campground Saturday July 7, 2001. The deadly tornado took only minutes to tear through a central Alberta campground and claim 12 lives, but its devastation will last a lifetime.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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Two girls place flowers at a monument before a service to mark the one year anniversary of the tornado which killed 12 in Pine Lake, Alberta Saturday July 14, 2001. More than 300 friends and family members of the victims turned out for the ceremony at the Green Acres campground.
CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld
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Green Acres campground owner Lexy Fisher (right) and her daughter Stacey (left) escort an owner into the devastated trailer park Wednesday July 19, 2000 in Pine Lake, Alta. Owners were allowed to return for the first time since the tornado struck Friday.
(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)
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FILE--Rescue workers sift through debris looking for survivors in Green Acres Campground 60 kilometres southeast of Red Deer Alta., Saturday, July 15, 2000, after a tornado touched down in the area Friday evening.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld