One man is dead after a tornado touched Monday afternoon in Mascouche, roughly 45 km northeast of Montreal.
Mascouche police spokesperson Marisa Curcio said the man appears to have taken refuge inside a shed when the tornado hit.
“It happened just before 4 p.m. in the Croissant Nelligan sector near Autoroute 25,” Curcio said.
Cleanup is underway in the community with emergency crews clearing debris in affected areas.
Mascouche Mayor Guillaume Tremblay took to Facebook urging people to avoid the area to allow crews to work unimpeded.
A spokesperson for the mayor said damage was extensive with some 50 to 70 homes affected.
“Some had the roofs ripped off, there are a lot of downed trees and downed electrical wires,” said Danny Franche.
Franche added that a temporary emergency centre being operated by the Red Cross has been set up for residents who need a place to stay.
A media representative with the Red Cross told Global News that teams are being deployed to help some 50 to 100 people who have been displaced.
Environment Canada confirmed that a tornado had touched down in the area, but was unable to give specifics as to the tornado’s path, strength and length.
“We saw some video footage with debris flying around and a funnel cloud,” said meteorologist Steve Boily.
The weather agency had issued a severe thunderstorm watch Monday morning warning of the possibility of tornadoes.
Boily added it’s likely other tornadoes made landfall in the Beauce region near Quebec City.
“We saw evidence of strong and persistent rotation on radar,” he said.
While no tornadoes in the area have been signalled to the weather agency, Boily said it’s possible that it hit a forested area or an area with few inhabitants.