'I've given up,' 2 years since Barrie tornado and many residents are still waiting to return home

Two years since a tornado shifted homes from their foundations, blew out windows and tore roofs clear off in a Barrie neighbourhood, many residents are still picking up the pieces and waiting to return home, with roughly a dozen unfinished houses.

"A lot of the homes still have not been completed. It's been two years as of tomorrow, and they are still struggling to get their work done in their home," said Barrie resident and tornado victim Mary Moggy.Aerial visuals over Prince William Way in Barrie, Ont.'s south-end after an EF-2 tornado tore through the community on July 15, 2021.

• DETAILS: Stories from the July 15, 2021, Barrie tornado
• PHOTO GALLERY: Destruction from tornado in Barrie community

The powerful EF-2 tornado, with winds topping 210 kilometres per hour, lasted roughly 15 minutes, leaving 110 homes damaged, displacing residents and causing over $100 million in insured losses.

The storm left debris at every turn and made 70 homes unsafe for residents to return.

"All our windows on the side of the house all busted in, and the inside of the house was glass everywhere," Moggy recalled, adding it took a year to rebuild her home. "The area was just destroyed," she said.

"We are very thankful that everything is back to normal," Moggy said, adding not all her neighbours have been so fortunate.

Christian Anderson said the past two years since the tornado has been agonizing for his family.

"I've given up. I'm not going to bother," said a frustrated Anderson. "Two years, and they're starting to get it done, with a porta-potty in our driveway and a dumpster."

Anderson and his family have since decided to sell, hoping for a new beginning.

For those who remain, the memory of the storm that swept through on July 15, 2021, stays fresh.

"It feels like yesterday," said resident Angelo Nasso, who said the tornado only strengthened him.

"The house can be rebuilt, but not a life and that was the good thing about it, that nobody got hurt," Nasso said, who is also finally back in his home after several challenges with contractors.

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Construction remains unfinished on a home without a roof in Barrie, Ont., on Fri., July 14, 2023, two years after a tornado stormed through the area. (CTV News/Mike Arsalides) Officials say 11 people were injured when the tornado stormed through the area, leaving a trail of destruction 12 kilometres long and 600 metres wide.

Experts have called on builders to install hurricane straps to help builds better withstand severe winds and prevent roofs from being ripped away.