By Jenn Watt

Neighbours municipal workers hydro crews and local businesses were out inKinmount on Monday morning cleaning up after a tornado went through the village around 5 p.m. on Sunday Aug. 2.

Trees were ripped down bywind uprooted in many cases fences collapsed a garage reduced to apile of its contents and items strewn around. Damage is apparent in thearea along County Road 121 on the south side of the village andBobcaygeon Road.

Jamie Jones said when he noticed the wind changedirections on Sunday he headed for the basement of his Bobcaygeon Roadhome. “It sounded like a train” he said on Monday morning standingamong large downed trees on his front lawn.
Although he lost manytrees damage to his home was minimal. He doesn’t know of any injuriesfrom the storm. “The fire department was around checking on everybody”he said. “Everyone’s OK as far as I know.”

Amie Rummenie who livesacross the road from Jones said she was cooking dinner when the weather app on her phone gave her a tornado warning. She called upstairs to her husband who had just got out of the shower and at first he didn’t say anything.
“Next thing I heard the wind and he came running down the stairs [saying] ‘get in the basement.’ And that’s when we grabbed ourthree kids and went into the basement” she said.

After the storm had passed Rummenie who is a personal support worker checked in on herneighbours. “… Last night when we came out I walked to each house andsaid hi and everyone seemed OK” she said.
The family’s house hadsome shingle damage and their chicken coop was demolished; they stillhave six of their seven chickens. The pergola her husband built fiveyears ago when they first moved in will also need to be rebuilt.
“The canoe’s in the tree over there and the boat’s in the baseball diamond” Rummenie said.
She said the community response had been “absolutely phenomenal.”
“I’ve got people I don’t even know who live across town here helping whichis fantastic. And the hydro crews and the town have been awesome.They’ve worked so quickly” she said.

Residents on the road mentioned that several local companies had volunteered to help with the cleanup.
Environment Canada confirmed three tornadoes had touched down in Ontario on Sundayin Camden East Oxford Mills and Kinmount. Kinmount’s was classified asan EF1 tornado the second weakest on the Enhanced Fujita scale.