The hurricane affected mostly the western and southern regions of Ottawa and Gatineau, a city located across the river from the Canadian capital in the province of Quebec.
"It's in the top two or three traumatic events that have affected our city," Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told reporters. "It looks like something from a movie scene or a war scene."
According to Canada's Department of the Environment, the wind speed reached 218 km/h.
Ottawa!
— Sheila North (@TheSheilaNorth) September 21, 2018
My fiends neighbourhood got hit by a tornado! And now sheets of rain where I am with Anita! pic.twitter.com/ZPmfzWSqad
My house & cars. We r okay. Kids are with grandparents. House has damage but intact. Our cars…not so much. #ottawatornado #ottawa #tornado pic.twitter.com/crF3lZP9Xj
— Renata Scorsone (@R_Scorsone) September 22, 2018
One of the citizens, Joshua McEvoy, who lives in the Centretown West part of Ottawa, almost had his wedding ruined because of tornado.
McEvoy was in the process of getting married on Saturday, but his big day took an unfortunate turn when he learned that his uncle, Leo Muldoon, had been injured in the tornado while trying to repair a barn.
Moreover, the restaurant the couple had chosen for the event six months in advance was struck by a power outage.
The brave lovebirds decided not to change their plans.
"We figured there's nothing more romantic than a candlelight wedding so we're going to do it anyway," McEvoy said.
A forced unplugged wedding because of the tornado. Power outage 5 min before wedding started. I took the battery powered LED lights from the DJ and made it happen. The wedding was ethereal and magical. pic.twitter.com/2eaVOU5V6O
— Alan Viau (@DrAlanViau) September 22, 2018
The exact extent of the destruction remains unknown, but at least three buildings have been completely destroyed, and a few dozen have lost their roofs.
Numerous private and multi-story houses were left without light.
