A state of emergency was declared here after a killer tornado tore the roofs off houses, businesses and churches, toppled trees and knocked over power lines. Environment Canada reports one person was killed and several others suffered undetermined injuries as winds of about 240 km/h whipped through the area. There were no details on the casualty. “We had a storm like this in ’95, but the damage is far worse today,” Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt said Sunday. The twister that touched down around 4 p.m. caused heavy damage to buildings near the historic square at the heart of Goderich. The roofs of several buildings ringing the square were torn off. The green space around the courthouse at the centre of the square was littered with tree limbs and trees that had been ripped out of the ground. “It’s like an atomic bomb hit it,” Greg Rau said. The powerful winds shattered windows in the courthouse so “you can see right through it,” he said. Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Dave Rektor confirmed people were injured, but he didn’t know how many or the extent of their injuries. The town declared a state of emergency about 30 minutes after the twister hit and a command post was set up at the Knights of Columbus hall.
Roosemalen looked out the front window. “I saw all the stuff swirling in the sky. The tornado was right across the road.” The family ran to the basement. The wind was so loud as they ran down stairs that their ears were popping, Kennedy said. Remi Dube was trying to close his porch door when the tornado hit. “I made it in to the living room and everything went black,” he said. The front porch was ripped off his house and a tree landed on his truck. His garage was severely damaged. “Nobody got hurt, that’s the main thing. My neighbours are all right.” Jill Gould of Uxbridge, Ont., was at a motel when the tornado hit. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The wind went one way and it came back the other way.” Tyler Nicholson was napping on the couch at his Goderich home when the tornado hit. 
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