CARROT RIVER - The Town of Carrot River is cleaning up a mess of destruction in the wake of what appears to be a massive plow wind that came through their community on June 23. The town of Carrot remained without power at the time this article was published.
Environment Canada issued a tornado watch for several parts of central Saskatchewan, including Prince Albert, Battlefords, and Saskatoon. In Northeast Saskatchewan several areas were issued a tornado alert and were advised to take immediate cover in a basement or interior room.
Witnesses say there may have been a tornado or funnel cloud, however a spokesperson for Environment Canada said they can not confirm a tornado touched down until an investigation occurs.
Due to the time of the day and the extent of the damage, the spokesperson said that it was more probable that it was a straight line wind or plow wind with no sightings to confirm a tornado touched down. The spokesperson said that plow winds can be just as damaging as a tornado and, in some cases, cause more damage because plow winds can cover a larger area and some plow winds can be classified up to an EF 1 or 2 tornado.
Saskatchewan RCMP say they are currently unaware of any injuries due to Sunday's weather.
Community Development Manager Miranda Blaber told SaskToday.ca that the Town of Carrot River has been coming together to help everyone clean up the destruction from the plow wind on June 23.
The Town of Carrot River has set up a storm cleanup area with large dumpster at the skating rink, hall tourist booth and water treatment plant. The tree dump is open for any fallen trees one mile north on the west side of the highway.
Power is out to the entire community. The town office is closed for services but is open with a staff on site for communications.
The Town of Carrot River would like to remind residents:
- be safe and aware of debris and trees/trees branches overhead
- conserve water while power is out (no laundry, dishes, bathing, etc), the water is safe to drink
- use our tree dump located north of town for clean up
- take a lot of photos in the event of insurance claims
- help neighbours out, as many will need some extra hands
- our water supply remains safe to drink
- local traffic only as needed, looky-loos hinder work
- contact SaskPower if you have trees down on power lines 306-310-2220
- if you require a generator we have been informed of a nearby business who can help out as they have access to multiple systems: Glen with DSG Power Systems 1-306-535-5711
- if you have professional services to aid the town as a whole contact 1-306-768-7336
The Town of Carrot will be posting updates on their Facebook page.
The Carrot River Community School closed on June 24 but exams for senior classes are still proceeding as usual.
Blaber said that there is extensive damage to the town with a restaurant roof that was torn off from the wind. “Several trees are down and lots of debris is scattered. The Town of Carrot River’s community hall also lost half of their roof during the storm.”
Local, Shelly White spoke to SaskToday.ca and said, "I've never seen or heard of a storm like this. The wind roared and it was just unbelievably loud.” White said her friend Carrie Nigel, owner of local restaurant, Carrie’s Kitchen had the roof come completely off her restaurant and blew across the street onto the Carrot River Tourism Booth. White said the storm came around 11:30 p.m. and lasted about 30 minutes.
Blaber said that the Rural Municipality (RM) of Moose Range No. 486 which borders the town offered their help with equipment and whatever needs are required as well as other organizations within the community.
