MARKING A YEAR AFTER TORNADOES
Ottawa-Gatineau areas damaged by storms focus on resilience, hope
Victoria Hodgins helped muscle hunks of tree trunk into a wheelbarrow Saturday morning and roll them over to a young Royal Red maple tree just planted in the middle of the Woodvale Green neighbourhood.
A small group gathered in the row-house community off Craig Henry Drive to mark the first anniversary of the tornado that swept through the area on Sept. 21, 2018, knocking down trees and damaging homes.
Hodgins placed the trunk pieces around the new tree, which was donated by the condo corporation’s property manager.
The tree will be a reminder of the anguish residents felt that day, but also the moment neighbours grew closer, leading to the community’s regeneration, she said.
“We suffered significant damage and it’s important to recognize those milestones, whether good or bad, and how you move forward from them,” Hodgins said.
Events observing the first anniversary of the Ottawa-Gatineau tornadoes happened in areas damaged by the storms, including the areas of Trend-Arlington in Nepean and West Carleton-March.
In Dunrobin, more than 100 people gathered at the community centre to thank emergency workers, fundraisers and volunteers.
The loudest applause was reserved for youths on the West Carleton Warriors hockey team, who won the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup earlier this year for their efforts helping residents recover from the tornado that hit that community.
“They’re not just a one-hit wonder, I’ll tell you that,” coach Sean Lecuyer said, lauding the kids’ volunteer work after the tornado and the spring flood.
West Carleton-March Coun. Eli El-Chantiry declared his constituents “one of the most resilient people in the world,” considering the tornado and two floods they ’ve experienced in recent years.
District Fire Chief Bill Bell remembered seeing the tornado’s destruction as he pulled up on the first pump truck that day. “It was overwhelming what we saw on Porcupine Trail,” Bell said.
Construction equipment, fences and scaffolding remain on properties affected by the tornadoes.
Back at Woodvale Green, Marie Weerasooriya-Epps, the president of the community’s condo board, said the past year has been “more than ludicrous” as homeowners continue to navigate an insurance labyrinth.
“We expected the insurance companies would be our partners and we found that they were not our partners,” Weerasooriya-Epps said. “We found that at every corner it’s almost like you had to hire a lawyer, but we didn’t have any money to hire a lawyer.”
There are 110 homeowners in this part of the Woodvale Green community.
As it is, the condo board has had to order a special assessment to pay for the skyrocketing insurance costs for the community, while residents are still waiting for fixes to their homes.
Weerasooriya-Epps estimated that 60 per cent of the necessary repairs have been made.
Some residents can’t afford paying more condo fees and they’re selling their homes, she said.
Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Keith Egli said he had about five events lined up for the day to mark the first anniversary of the tornadoes.
“I think the significance is the sense of community, the sense of renewal,” Egli said.
He said the anniversary is a bittersweet “celebration”.
“It’s a day to remember the awful thing that happened, but it’s also a day to celebrate all the good work that the community has done over the past year coming together and supporting each other,” Egli said.
Weerasooriya-Epps said the small ceremony for the new tree in Woodvale Green signifies something meaningful for the community.
“Growth and hope,” Weerasooriya-Epps said, “and a path forward.”