Today's letters: 6 years ago, a tornado devastated parts of Ottawa

Friday, Sept. 20: A reader remembers the storm that ripped through Dunrobin, Craig Henry and other parts of the city. You can write to us too, at [email protected]

Published Sep 20, 2024  •  Last updated 12 hours ago  •  2 minute read

A man walks through the rubble of his home on Thomas Dolan Parkway in Dunrobin in September, 2018. Photo by Jean Levac /POSTMEDIA NEWS

Remembering Ottawa’s huge 2018 tornado

Wednesday, Sept. 18 was the sixth anniversary of Ottawa’s big tornado, one of many to hit the city and surrounding areas.

It devastated Dunrobin and Arlington Woods and zig-zagged its way through Craig Henry and Hunt Club. It caused a great deal of damage and heartbreak.

At about 4 p.m. that afternoon, my dog refused to “go” and instead stood sniffing the air. The tornado hit Craig Henry about 6 p.m. I lived on Charing Rd. I had just gone into my sunroom to shut the door because of the rain when — WHAM! — my huge maple tree was ripped off its base and landed on my roof. One large branch crashed through the window right beside me. I was stunned but fortunately unhurt. My home suffered more than $60,000 worth of damage.

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A few other homes on Charing Road were also damaged.
Over the next few days, neighbours helped each other with tarps, fence boards for support of the tarps, and food.
A few homes in the subdivision were totally destroyed. No one was hurt, to everyone’s great relief.

The City Of Ottawa was fantastic: almost daily, its trucks cleaned up constant piles of damaged furniture and branches etc. Several charities gave invaluable help.

In the following months, many people had a lot of trouble with insurance claims.

I wrote a book about our Tornado: OTTAWA’S TORNADO, An Historical Record. Then-mayor Jim Watson wrote the forward.

It was an adventure. Let’s hope we never have to suffer through that again.

Alice Smeathers, Nepean

Fix card readers, OC Transpo

Re: Letter, Transpo should stop free riders, Sept. 18.

Like the letter-writer, I also am a regular OC Transpo user. Many times I have boarded a bus ready to tap my Presto card — only to discover the card reader is out of order.

I have a monthly pass but those who only load a few dollars on their card are getting a free ride. Those passengers would also not be included in ridership statistics.

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May I suggest OC Transpo make sure all card readers are in working order?

Dolores Swallow, Ottawa

Transpo doesn’t really fix things

Re: Pellerin, How on-demand public transit could help end OC Transpo’s death spiral, Sept. 12.

An interesting article; however I doubt it will ever be more than a flash in a pan.

I have had experience with the use of Para Transpo when a patient needed transportation to an event, be it family visits or medical appointments. Expect at least an hour wait before being picked up, and despite booking a return time, again you will have an extended wait.

Now, years later, as a volunteer at the hospital, I often see patents waiting more than an hour to be picked up.

Peter Vanderburg, Ottawa

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