Officer recounts a year of recovery after tornado severely damages his house

This Saturday marks one year since four tornadoes touched down in the Ottawa area, with devastating effects in several neighbourhoods, including Dunrobin, Arlington Woods and Gatineau. For Ottawa Police Staff Sergeant Paul Wilson, he remembers it like it was yesterday.

A long-time resident of Dunrobin, Paul’s home was severely damaged on September 18, 2018, along with hundreds of other people.  

A 30 year veteran of the Ottawa Police Service, this was the first time Paul was on the other side of an emergency. “I’m used to helping other people, but this time, I needed help,” he said. “The response from emergency services and the community was incredible. We fled to our basement when the tornado struck and by the time we came upstairs, the fire department was already there.”

Paul, along with his wife and two of his six children were at home when they received a text message warning they were in the path of an approaching tornado.

“We’ve had high winds before, but nothing like this,” he said. “From upstairs, I saw shingles flying off the roof and thought, ‘I’ll have to call a roofer’.”

But when his wife looked out the front window and saw what was coming, it was clear the tornado was heading straight for them. As they ran downstairs for cover, windows blew in and part of the roof was torn off.

“But no one was injured,” he said, “our home wasn’t destroyed and it could be fixed.”

He considers himself fortunate, because he was able to hire contractors to start the repairs while working with his insurance company. He acknowledges some people didn’t have the resources to do that. It was nine months before they were back living in the house. Paul acknowledges, some of his neighbours still aren’t there yet.

“There are some things you can anticipate – buying a new car or appliance, having smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and an emergency kit, but how do you plan for a tornado?”

Paul is pleased to see an event being held to mark the one year anniversary. “We were in the throes of recovery, only for many in our extended community to be hit with flooding this past Spring,” said Paul. “It’s great to see the community coming together and being there for each other. We need something uplifting. My thoughts are with the other areas affected by the tornadoes and floods and I hope they have the support they need too.”

The community BBQ is on Saturday, September 21 at the Heart and Soul Café in Dunrobin.  

For another personal story about impact from the Tornado, tune in to CTV Morning Live at 8:15 am to hear Superintendent Mark Ford share his experience.