Tornado touchdown tears apart properties

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Published on Thursday, August 11, 2016

Photos by Jamie Porrok. The tornado that touched down near Erickson left a wake of destruction in its path, including this flattened swath of forest nearly half a kilometer wide.

By Tony Eu

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

On Aug. 8, Neepawa, along with many other communities across western Manitoba, was battered by heavy winds, torrential downpours and hail. But while the storm was nothing to scoff at here in the Land of Plenty, the storm that hit the Erickson area made ours look like a light breeze.

At approximately 7 pm on Aug. 8, a tornado ripped through the area surrounding Erickson, bringing winds of up to 90 km per hour. It was accompanied by hail that, by some reports, was the size of tennis balls.

Left: Trees like these stood no chance against the storm. Right: The Tiller’s yard is only one of many that was damaged by the tornado.

According to Rick Proven, a resident in the area and one of the many individuals whose property was damaged, the damage sustained by the 10 or so properties in the area was relatively minor. Luckily, no one was injured during the storm.

In Neepawa, winds caused mostly minor damage to the foliage around town, mainly breaking off smaller branches. That being said, there were larger branches and even entire trees that were blown over as well, such as a large, old tree by the Neepawa Rifle Range.

The second time in as many weeks that a storm has done damage to the plant life around town, last week’s storm knocked over a tree on the corner of Hamilton St. and 4th Ave. Another tree was blown over on the east side of the high school.