City officials said prevention is better than cure.
Sarnia-Lambton’s community warning sirens and alert advisories sounded shortly before 6:40 p.m. Saturday, indicating that there was a tornado warning for all of Sarnia-Lambton and that residents should stay alert. take shelter immediately.
Meteorologist Gerald Cheng with Environment Canada said a tornado warning for the Upper Great Lakes region and southern Lake Huron had been issued, but he did not specify Sarnia-Lambton.
Cheng said tornado watches and warnings were also posted for areas east of Kincardine, including Saugueen Shores and Owen Sound, and then entered by the Alert Ready system, to relay the message to people on the ground.
“But at the same time, we also hope that people will assess the weather around them because the area can be large and storms can be very isolated,” he said.
Deputy Fire Chief and Emergency Manager Dale Gartshore said after receiving the alert their emergency plan went into action and overall he was pleased the system performed as it was supposed to. was supposed to do it.
“Upon receipt of the alert, Sarnia Police Dispatch, in accordance with our established emergency management procedures, issued an alert via Sarnia-Lambton Alerts, and our community notification sirens notified residents of the potential threat imminent threat of a tornado,” Gartshore said. “Emergency management staff contacted the Provincial Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) and determined that a green light could be issued for Sarnia, which was then communicated via the city’s website, Sarnia- Lambton Alerts and through the media.”
Gartshore said the green light was sent at 8:15 p.m.
On social media, it was evident that there was some confusion about where the tornado threat actually was.
Point Edward Fire and Rescue posted on its Facebook page that it was also monitoring the situation, but that there did not appear to be any immediate threat.
Screenshot of the Point Edward Fire and Rescue Facebook page.
The St. Clair Township Fire Department posted a similar post on its Facebook page.
Screenshot of the St. Clair Township Fire Department Facebook page.
Gartshore said after reviewing the incident, the threat of an onshore tornado in the city of Sarnia was minimal.
“I think what residents should be happy about is that the system works,” Gartshore said. “When an alert comes in and a warning needs to be issued, it does it and does it quickly. This is the best way to protect the city of Sarnia. Tornadoes appear quickly, and if they had materialized, any delay could have had consequences. “
He said improvements can always be made, including more specific warnings from Environment Canada and the Provincial Emergency Operations Center (PEOC).
“I will be participating in a symposium on extreme weather on Thursday and I believe this will give me the opportunity to speak directly to the people who have the opportunity to change the system.”
Meanwhile, the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) has declared Ontario the new tornado capital of Canada.
NTP said since the project launched in 2017 at Western University in London, it has seen increased activity in Ontario, knocking Saskatchewan out of the top spot.
