‘Ended up with a hole in our upstairs wall’: high winds topple trees, damage home
The cleanup has begun in parts on Manitoba as Friday’s gusting winds toppled trees and damaged at least one home.
According to a city spokesperson, more than 100 calls were made regarding fallen or damaged trees by 9 p.m. Friday night.
Cadets were forced to help direct traffic after tree debris blocked a lane on Inkster Boulevard at McGregor Street. Broken tree limbs also littered parts of Wellington Crescent.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, wind gusts peaked in the city at 77 kilometres an hour around 6 p.m.
high winds topple trees in Winnipeg
The damage wasn’t limited to Winnipeg. A home in Pilot Mound had a tree fall onto its roof, with a branch breaking through.
“It had been there a very long time and did creak in high winds,” said homeowner Elaine Popplestone. “We expected that some day it was going to go, and we just hoped it would have gone in a different direction.”
Popplestone said her husband was home when it happened. He thought it was just a fallen branch, but, upon closer inspection, it was the whole tree.
“There is a branch that punctured the roof and we ended up with a hole in our upstairs wall,” said Popplestone.
“The branch was still in there, blocked last night (when) the winds died down. We slept in our bedroom and had no problem.”
Because the tree was on the boulevard, the municipality is taking care of it. A tree service came by the home Saturday morning and cut it up. Someone else will pick up the pieces and take them to the dump.
Large tree damages house roof in Pilot Mound after strong winds on June 11 (Source: Elaine Popplestone)
Wind speeds in the area hit over 100 km/h, with Pilot Mound experiencing gusts of 104 km/h, the highest in the province, according to Environment Canada. Eight other Manitoba communities saw winds at or over the 100 km/h mark.
The high winds forced Manitoba Hydro to bring in extra crews from Winnipeg to Morden to deal with storm damage in the area.
In a tweet, Hydro said storm cleanup has been challenging after high winds and rain damaged poles and power lines. Hydro said power should be restored for most people by Saturday evening.
.high winds topple trees in Winnipeg
For Popplestone, her main concern now is rain.
‘I'm not worried, but it may be a good idea to cover the roof to not get any rain indoors,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
WATCH Expecting an interest rate cut in June? Don't bet on it after new jobs data
Canada's labour market rebounded in April, adding more than 90,000 jobs, a staggering number of new positions after four consecutive months of little change.
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.