A team including Murray Morrison, Eri Iizumi, Craig Miller, Gregory Kopp, from the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, ON conducted a damage investigation following the Tornadoes of August 20 which touched down near Toronto and then write a report about their findings.
From that investigation and analysis, it is believed that two separate tornadoes are responsible for the damage in Woodbridge near Martin Grove Rd. and Highway 7, and the damage off of Jane St. between Teston Rd. and Major Mackenzie Dr. Damage indicators at
both sites are consistent with F2 tornadoes. Several repeated failures were observed, and these are also discussed. Read the report (Pdf, 16 pages, many pictures)
With funding by ICLR, this team conducts damage investigations at event sites, aiding Environment Canada in working to determine if a tornado touched down, its suspected intensity, as well as investigations of the impact on structures to determine how homes etc. can be built to better withstand high wind events.
About the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Established in 1998 by Canada’s property and casualty insurers, ICLR is an independent, not-for-profit research institute based in Toronto and at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. ICLR is a centre of excellence for disaster loss prevention research and education. ICLR’s research staff is internationally recognized for pioneering work in a number of fields including wind and seismic engineering, atmospheric sciences, water resources engineering and economics. Multi-disciplined research is a foundation for ICLR’s work to build communities more resilient to disasters. www.iclr.org
