Barrie, Ont. tornado survivor's cherished photo blown onto porch 5.5 kms away
When a ruthless tornado blew through a south-end Barrie, Ont., community on Thursday, it ripped apart homes and tossed personal belongings like trash, including a photograph that one survivor had kept as a keepsake.
The photograph belonged to Stephen Galyen, a construction worker who was inside a trailer at a construction site as it was thrown into the air and torn apart.
"There's things moving everywhere, nothing's attached, so you're just hoping it all ends," he described.
Galyen and two of his coworkers who were in the trailer with him survived, but the photograph that was taped to the trailer's wall was lost.
The picture, Galyen said, was a souvenir of better times. "Back to the times when everyone was happy. Everyone's having good times, and after all the things we've been through, it's just something nice to look back at."
The photo had travelled five and a half kilometres to land on Alexis Spiering's back porch in Innisfil.
"I brought it in, and initially, my dad was like, 'That's me,' and I was like, 'No, that's not you. That looks nothing like you.' So we had no idea where this photo came from," she said.
A few days after the discovery, Speiring reached out to CTV News Barrie to help reunite the photo with its rightful owner in hopes someone somewhere would point her in the right direction.
"Maybe that photo had meaning," she added.
Galyen said he saw his photo on CTV News and met with Speiring at the construction site to have it returned.
"This is great," he said as she handed it over. "Thank you so much."
The EF-2 tornado caused a trail of destruction in the Prince William Way area five kilometres long and up to 100 metres wide.
Seventy-one homes were deemed uninhabitable and more than 100 residents were displaced.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.