Some homes damaged by Barrie, Ont., tornado not up to code, researchers say
Researchers with Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) are surveying the damage in a Barrie, Ont., neighbourhood after an EF-2 tornado touched down last week and said they believe some of the destruction was preventable.
In all, 71 homes were deemed uninhabitable, and roughly 100 people were displaced.
According to Dr. Connell Miller, a researcher with NTP, much of the damage caused by the powerful storm may not have happened if certain protocols were followed.
"We saw non-successive failures, and what I mean by that is usually your shingles get ripped off before the roof, which gets ripped off before the walls," he said. "But we saw walls ripped off before roofs and shingles and things like that, which is a sign of insufficient construction."
During an inspection last Thursday, researchers said they found many of the Prince William Way-area houses didn't have proper roof-to-wall connections.
According to Miller, the building code requires homes to have three toenails at each of the roof-to-wall connections, and at least one house, in particular, did not. "And that's why you saw roofs ripped off maybe when they didn't have to be ripped off," he added.
On Wednesday, Miller and the Winds Impact Research Drone Team launched a drone over the impacted area.
The drone took thousands of photos, which will be stitched to create a 3D map to help the team catalogue the damage caused by the twister.
The general manager of infrastructure and growth management with the City of Barrie, Andrea Miller, said in a statement, "The city follows a documented and approved process to issue permits and inspect construction.
The building code specifies mandated inspections, which the constructor is obligated to call the city to conduct.
Our process meets these obligations under the Building Code Act and reflects industry best practice.
The city is not in a position now, or after the tornado, to verify firsthand/on-site the physical state of homes for the following reasons:
- The city does not have the authority to enter the home for an after the fact inspection, only to issue the Unsafe Order.
- Property owners/insurance companies will be getting reports from their own engineering companies to address an Unsafe Order or other concerns.
- The city's responsibility is to review and assess the Engineering Report.
- It is likely that interior finishes will need to be removed to fully assess any structural damage. The city is not able to do that work.
- Inspection jurisdiction for repair work is limited to the repair and not broader investigations."
The city said it would respond with building permit information for the affected homes, as requested through the appropriate process, although this will take time to retrieve archived files.
Meanwhile, NTP said it could take months to analyze the footage from Wednesday's drone.
"This was a fairly significant event with a lot of structural damage. Damage that just goes through croplands, forests, things like that - it's a bit faster to analyze just because there's not as much detailed structural connections that we need to look at, but an event like this, we could be looking at it for months and research could be done on it for years," Dr. Connell Miller added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
The UN warns Sudan's warring parties that Darfur risks starvation and death if aid isn't allowed in
The United Nations food agency warned Sudan's warring parties Friday that there is a serious risk of widespread starvation and death in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they don't allow humanitarian aid into the vast western region.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Golf season a summer tourism driver in Canada
Golf is a sign of spring and summer and a major driver for seasonal tourism, experts say.