My sister and brother-in-law, Anne and Peter, live in Brucefield just outside of Goderich and were not affected by the tornado. They have lived in the area a long time though and this is Anne's account of trying to get to my parent's apartment in Goderich yesterday, the day after the tornado.
Hello All,
Just home from a day in Goderich with Mom & Dad. They are doing fine and are more relaxed today. The situation all around them is very grim but they are determined to stay for one more day in spite of the lack of hydro. I get that! It is their home and no one else is jumping ship.
Getting into town this morning was an ordeal that took about an hour and required that we drive around a few road block barriers but we did not get caught. Once we got into the locked down area of town we were not challenged by the police and explained why we were there and they tried to give us the best route we may take to get to Waterloo Street. We got within two blocks before we could not go any further due to the debris fields on every street. I got out of the car to walk the rest of the way and Peter took off in the car to try and find a route that would let us get the car up to the apartment. There was no way Dad could have walked to the car over those two blocks. The debris was waist high in place. I bumped into Jim Farrish, Helen's son and it was a good thing as I was lost. I completely lost my bearings as there was nothing familiar. All the houses in that areas were destroyed and there were no street signs or markers you could use to know where you were. He carried the groceries and stuff I had that Mom needed and he got me there safely.
Peter found a way in and arrived about 15 minutes after me with the car. We spent the morning cleaning up their patio and the front and side yards of the apartment building. We piled all the limbs and debris on the boulevard and raked Dad’s yard and swept all the sidewalks. That one little patch of Waterloo Street was rather tidy by the time we left. Peter ventured out to the Tim Horton’s out by Zehrs (one of the few places where you could get prepared food) and bought sandwiches for us for lunch. Alex found his way to Mom and Dads and we had a visit. After lunch Mom and I went for a walk. All the pictures I have attached were taken within one and a half blocks of Mom and Dad’s apartment. (the two pictures in the post below this one are Anne's.)
I took them a radio with fresh batteries so they can listen to the news and will deliver more water and candles tomorrow. They have tentatively agreed to leave their apartment and come here tomorrow if the hydro will not be on by tomorrow night. We will see if they will follow through on that. At the very least I need to get their freezer emptied tomorrow. Zehrs has brought in a reefer and will store anyone’s frozen stuff as long as it arrives in a box with your name on it. I can’t think of anything else I can say. Everyone is helping each other. The sight of it all made me weep. It is had to imagine how long it will take to clean it all up and fix it. No matter what happens the town will never look the same again. Many of the heritage buildings that gave it that special look will need to be torn down and there will be wide open spaces where there once were majestic maples, oak and chestnut trees.
Here is a little story today from my mother: While my parents were sitting on their patio having a cup of barbecue coffee, a young man and his dog passed on the street pulling a wagon. He held up a thermos and asked if they wanted a hot refill and they gratefully accepted. He then brought out a container of wonderful brownies and sat with them and chatted while they ate and had coffee. Turns out he lives around the corner and he has a generator so is reasonably well off right now, so he makes coffee and treats and heads out with his wagon and his dog and walks the streets offering his goodies to those who might need them. He also gave them his address and said if they needed anything to stop by and he would do what he could.
Makes a distant daughter's heart happy to know good people are helping her parents and others.
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