Tornado destroys homes, hydro poles in Hunt Club and Greenbank area

Craig Henry in Ottawa's west end is one of a handful of neighbourhoods hit the hardest by a pair of tornadoesthat ripped through the city Friday.

Dozens of homes and hydro poleswere destroyed or torn down and one person was injured near Hunt Club and Greenbank roads after an EF-2tornado with wind speeds of up to 220 km/h touched down in Nepean.

A second EF-3 tornado, with wind speeds of up to 265 km/h, tracked from the Dunrobinarea in the city's rural west end across the Ottawa River into Gatineau.

Mayor Jim Watson said theareas severely hit in Ottawa includeDunrobin, Craig Henry andArlington Woods, the Hunt Club-Riverside area and the PaulAnka-McCarthyarea.

"I turned on our street which is usually full of gorgeous huge trees, but it was like a war zone ... I cried when I saw the devastation," said Linda Cruz, whose home was severely damaged after a tree landed on it.

"My husband was at home ... he heard a loud sound ... the ceiling is in and the bathroom is gone."

Cruz andher husband packed their necessities and left their home Friday night after emergency responders told them it was unsafe to stay.

"That was very surreal, walking out with the animals and the suitcaseand climbing over trees."

Dave Bourgeau, another resident in Craig Henry, said he was home with his wife when the tornado hit.

"Last night ... we went to the family room and all of the windows blew out," Bourgeau said.

"We [then] ran for the basement, and as we run for the basement you look outside and picture 25 massive pine trees just all flying through the air and hitting things."