Barrie, Ont. residents recall the day one year ago that an EF-2 hit their community

It was an emotional day for Sarah Banks as she walked through the front door of her home, moving back in with her family one year after a tornado touched down in a Barrie neighbourhood.

"Not being in the community we chose to live in has been really hard, so I'm so happy today we get to come into our house and sleep in our comfortable beds again," Banks said.

The EF-2 tornado blew through her backyard as she clung to her son in the basement.

"I could feel the wind come under the door up my shirt, and I remember holding onto my son and saying we have to be prepared. The ceiling above us might move," Banks said.

And even though a fresh coat of paint, new windows and floors hide the scars of that day, she said the memories linger.

"It was very traumatic for us and for all of the members in the community that experienced this, and I'm sure we will always hold on to those memories," Banks said.

The 210-kilometre-per-hour twister left many in south Barrie and other communities picking up the pieces.

In total, more than 2,200 insurance claims were made for damage to personal and commercial property.

"With an estimated $100 million in insured losses, the Barrie tornado ranks as one of the costliest severe weather events in Canada in 2021. Across Canada, insured losses from various severe weather events in 2021 topped $2.2 billion," Insurance Bureau of Canada's (IBC) said in an emailed statement to CTV News.

"Over the last decade, insured losses from natural disasters are averaging $2.2 billion a year, far exceeding the average in the previous decade (2001-2010) of $632 million."

• Barrie Tornado stories, photos and videos from July 15, 2021

Barrie resident Elisha Sullivan and her four children moved back into their home in January but have no clear timeline on when the rest of the repairs will be finished.

"The balcony still needs to be done, the windows, the siding, we just got the garage doors put in about two weeks ago, so there is still a fair amount that needs to be done," Sullivan said.

While rebuilding is one thing, Sullivan said it's the unwavering community support helping everyone heal.

"Even just neighbour to neighbour, letting each other know we are here, we are all dealing with trauma and things differently. It's been astonishing," Sullivan said.

It's a sentiment also shared by Cicco's Ristorante, a business badly damaged by the tornado and still trying to recover.

"It's been touch and go, to say the least. We are trying to get back, reopen and see our guests again – that's what we are working on," said Lindsay Weiss, Cicco's Ristorante owner.

Although it's been a year, the tornado's aftermath is still visible, and some homeowners have yet to move back home.

Because of supply and labour shortages due to the pandemic and the extent of the damage, it's a process IBC said could, in some cases, take 18 months or longer.

• DETAILS: Stories from the July 15, 2021, Barrie tornado
• PHOTO GALLERY: Destruction from tornado in Barrie community
• WATCH VIDEO: Videos and reports from the 2021 tornado