Storm causes damage across area

A violent storm came through the area last Friday evening, causing trees to come down and hydro to be lost for many residents for a portion of the weekend. A large tree was uprooted in front of the Belle Vue property and the roof was damaged as a result of the storm.

A powerful thunderstorm rolled through Windsor-Essex County last Friday evening, and left damage and power outages in its wake.

The storm came through around 6:30 p.m. and resulted in high winds and heavy rain. After it blew through, large tree limbs were down in many areas if not uprooted entirely, business signs had fallen to the ground, roofs were damaged and fences crushed.

One building that sustained damage was the historic Belle Vue home, as the roof could be viewed as having visible damage to it. A large tree in the front of the property fell over but did not appear to actually strike the 200-year-old home.

The Town of Amherstburg, the current owners of the Belle Vue property at 525 Dalhousie St., along with members of town council, took to social media to urge people to stay off of the property.

“Thank you to everyone in our community for your concern following the storm damage at Belle Vue. At this time, the safety of our community remains our highest priority. Under no circumstances should anyone enter onto the property. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we assess the damage and determine the next steps,” the town posted on its Facebook page.

There were crews seen at Fort Malden National Historic Site clearing downed tree branches while the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) pointed out via social media that Holiday Beach Conservation Area was temporarily without power on the weekend. 

ERCA is also advising people to contact its “Park Watch” division at parkwatch@erca.org or 519-971-2813 if downed limbs and branches were spotted  on conservation areas or any of its properties, adding ERCA’s crews “are working diligently to address these hazards.”

The July 3 storm caused damage to the roof of the Belle Vue property.

And also resulted in several downed trees and limbs in Amherstburg, including at a Front Road South home.

Essex Powerlines posted on its X account at 2:25 a.m. Saturday that power had been restored to all affected customers in Amherstburg. 

Residents were reporting in other areas of town that outages were lasting into Saturday as Hydro One crews worked to restore power in those areas.

Julia Darby and her family were outside their Concession 5 South home and their weather apps said there was a 30 per cent chance of rain. They lost power and cell phone service went down and they went in the house when the dark clouds started advancing and then the storm hit.

“Some trees had fallen down across the 5th Concession South, bringing powerlines with them,” said Darby.

The family of six and their animals were without power for 26 hours and Darby said members of the community were very helpful. Trees were down across the road, causing concerns over what could have happened if there was an emergency.

The family is on well water, she added, and neighbours were giving them bottles of water as they were without water for hours as well. Hydro One crews from Owen Sound came in and helped clear the roadway and repair the powerlines.

“Nobody was hurt, thank goodness,” she said. “We’re OK. It was a bit scary, I’m not going to lie.”

Darby is hopeful for increased communication with residents going forward about storm events and the circumstances that follow them.

Lena Lazanja said around 4:15 a.m. Saturday, she heard a rumble. She initially dismissed it, thinking it was thunder, but a neighbour reported seeing a flash of light from beside her home. Half of the electricity to her home wasn’t working and she discovered her hydro meter had been damaged. She is not sure from what, whether it be a lightning strike or a power surge, but she called Hydro One and the Amherstburg Fire Department.

Fire crews attended quickly and while they cut what power they could, the home still needed an emergency disconnect, something Lazanja said was phoned in about 9:30 a.m. Saturday. She made several phone calls herself as well.

According to Lazanja’s Facebook post, she was told by a Hydro One technician around 12:30 p.m. Saturday the meter was fine and she would need an electrician first. The latter arrived an hour later, she posted, but she still wanted an emergency disconnect, concerned about home and whether additional storms could impact the meter. Several phone calls were placed and just before 1 a.m. Sunday, she reported the crews arrived for the disconnect.

Lazanja believes better communication is needed from the town to hydro companies and others to better inform residents during storm events and what to do next.

“I know Hydro One is busy. I know it wasn’t just me affected,” she said.

Lazanja added: “I don’t blame the fire department at all. They were great. I’m not blaming anyone. Emergency situations get crazy.”

Lazanja added by late Sunday afternoon, everything was back up.

“The people I did deal with were amazing but there is obviously a disconnect,” she said.

Lazanja, a candidate for town council, said she received help from neighbours, friends, strangers and fellow candidates.

“From July 1 to July 5, Hydro One crews and contractors performed more than 590,000 service restorations following several days of severe thunderstorms across Ontario. Parts of the southwest experienced extensive damage, including Amherstburg when localized storms hit the area on Friday afternoon resulting in 120 incidents/outages and 21 broken poles,” said a Hydro One spokesperson.

“During a storm, we prioritize restoration by repairing main lines and critical infrastructure first, which restores power to the greatest number of customers, before addressing smaller, localized outages. Emergency calls are also prioritized based on the circumstances of each scenario. For example, downed lines pose a safety risk to the public, first responders and crews so those 911 calls are prioritized first. In this case, a damage assessor attended the customer’s property July 4 just after 12 p.m.”

Storm causes damage across area

By Ron Giofu