Three days after Uxbridge was hit by a powerful storm that reduced parts of the small town of Ontario to rubble, Mayor Dave Barton says “there’s a lot of work to be done.”
“The situation on the ground is terrible,” Barton told CP24.
Cameras flying over the area on Tuesday morning showed the bird’s eye damage.
Several buildings are missing roofs. Adult trees have been bent and cracked like chopsticks.
The city declared a state of emergency after the storm claimed the lives of at least 10 people in Ontario and Quebec.
Barton said the city was “very fortunate” not to report any deaths as a result of the storm given the “devastation” in the area.
He said no one was missing at the time and that the injuries reported were “very minor”.
“Things can be replaced. The trees will grow back. But the [emotional] harm to people is a very different situation, “Barton said.
The city has submitted an application to the province for disaster relief funding. Prime Minister Doug Ford visited the wreckage on Monday and described the weather event as “the only storm in life”.
“We will be there to support any community across the province,” Ford said. “We’re going to be there through municipal affairs.”
Elexicon Energy, which serves Uxbridge, said up to 5,000 homes are without electricity Tuesday morning as equipment works to repair downed power lines and restore electricity.
At least 35 properties were severely damaged during the storm and engineers are on the ground to assess which buildings need to be demolished.
According to Uxbridge fire chief Phil Alexander, warnings were issued for buildings that cannot be reoccupied immediately on Monday.
One such building is the Second Wedge Brewery, which just opened on the long weekend and now has no roof.
“It simply came to our notice then. We brewed beer to get it up and running. Now, we’re not going anywhere, “Robert Garrard, co-founder of Second Wedge Brewery, told CTV News Toronto.
“If it’s a demolition, our adjusters estimated it could be a year. I’m not sure what that means for us because I don’t think we can hold out for a year.”
Ashley Woodhams is in a similar situation. The Uxbridge resident and her family were out of town during the storm, but returned to find what was left of their dilapidated home.
“I guess they’re going to tear it down. The walls are cracked. We don’t have any windows left. The floors are shaking. We’re just trying to get everything that’s valuable to us and sentimental,” Woodhams said.
Meanwhile, Barton said in the midst of the devastation, residents, many of whom are equipped with chainsaws to remove fallen trees, are gathering to repair the city.
“Every minute, we’re getting a little closer,” Barton said.
“We have three schools open today. Three are closed. We want our children, we want all our residents to be up and running again. “
The cleanup effort is backed by the Red Cross and all levels of government, Barton said.
The mayor asks that those who want to move out of the city help in the recovery of staying at home.
“We do not need tourists right now. We are trying to deal with this internally and we want as little traffic as possible on our streets. “
He said he expects the cleanup to last several weeks.