PINE LAKE, Alta. – Clean up crews continued to sort through rubble this week in the wake of a weekend tornado that ripped through a central Alberta resort 60 kilometres east of Red Deer. As of July 17, 11 people were confirmed dead and 140 injured.
The twister came through Green Acres Campground at Pine Lake on July 14, just as most vacationers were sitting down to supper at about 6:30 p.m.
Environment Canada spokesperson Dennis Dudley told reporters the tornado was at its maximum intensity when it hit the campground. Most never knew what hit them and did not hear about severe weather warnings issued about an hour before. The storm lasted about two minutes before it moved eastward across Pine Lake and smashed through five farms.
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Environment Canada rated the storm an F3 tornado where winds reach speeds of more than 300 km-h.
Witnesses said the sky turned green before high winds, rain and golfball-sized hail pummeled the area.
Within minutes, the scene was a silent wasteland.
About 400 campsites were hit. Emergency services accounted for about 1,000 people. Ground and air ambulances transported about 140 people to local hospitals, with 18 going on to trauma units in Calgary and Edmonton. Two people remained in critical condition at press time.
The ground search ended July 17, but firefighters and police divers were continuing to search the murky waters of Pine Lake. Sonar indicated 60-70 RVs were under water where more casualties may be discovered.
Farmhouse destroyed
Of the five farms hit by the storm, one house was destroyed, said Red Deer county spokesperson Ken Enion. County officials were tracing the path of the storm to assess damage outside the campground. It was not known how many livestock were lost.
“It’s almost a miracle that very little livestock was affected. It does not mean they won’t find something,” said Enion.
Farmer David Pope, who lives one kilometre from the path of the storm, never heard the tornado as it passed.
The following morning he found a round bale of hay on top of a mangled grain auger. Pieces of a wooden grain bin were carried west across Highway 42 and chunks of wood were left sticking out of a slough a few hundred metres away. Cattle grazing nearby were untouched.
Nearby, the campground was smashed to bits. The area includes a bench of land that overlooks a beach. The hill and beach were littered with shattered motor homes as well as battered cars and camping gear.
Pieces of clothing, bedding and pink insulation were tangled in branches of smaller trees. Thick-bodied poplars closer to the lake were completely stripped of branches.
Cars, trucks and boats were jammed together among the wreckage.
Government assistance and insurance claims will be analyzed later, said a spokesperson from municipal affairs, which oversees provincial disaster services.
“We’re still in the assessment stage. Right now, we’re focusing on the recovery operation,” said Paul Leeder.
Premier Ralph Klein announced July 17 that cabinet is meeting early next week to discuss provincial aid to cover costs of emergency services, cleanup, funerals, counselling and material losses.
Financial donations may be made to the Canadian Red Cross at 800-418-1111.
