Remembering the 'catastrophic' Barrie tornado on 3rd anniversary

It's been three years since a tornado ripped through a Barrie neighbourhood on July 15, 2021.

A sneak attack said Environment Canada, that left destruction in its wake.

Many recall that Thursday afternoon when the skies turned eerily dark as rain began to pour and vengeful winds picked up.

As Environment Canada's tornado alert blasted across cell phones, residents in the Prince William Way area scrambled for shelter with mere seconds to spare before the EF-2 tornado, with winds topping 210 km/h, ripped away roofs, overturned vehicles, blasted out windows and shifted homes from their foundations.

Residents hovered in their basements as the deafening roar of the storm, punctuated by shattering glass and splintering wood, raged above them.

And then, as suddenly as it started, it ended.

The sound of wailing winds pivoted to sirens as emergency crews rushed to the area to search the debris for survivors — a once quiet neighbourhood now in pieces and resembling a warzone.

The tornado cut a path 12 kilometres long and 600 metres wide, damaging more than 100 homes.

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

Researchers take pictures of damaged homes with "poor construction quality" in Barrie, Ont. following a tornado on July 15, 2021. (Gregory Kopp/Twitter)Incredibly, no one was killed, but lives were forever altered as many lost their homes to Mother Nature's wrath in less than 15 minutes.

In the immediate aftermath, the community banded together to support one another. In the weeks and months that followed, volunteers helped with the cleanup efforts and provided essentials to those impacted.

Though much has since been rebuilt, there remain telltale signs of the events that unfolded on that day three years ago, including new roofs, fencing and windows that have since been replaced.

More than 2,200 insurance claims were made for damage to personal and commercial property. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, an estimated $100 million in insured losses pegged the 2021 Barrie tornado as one of Canada's costliest severe weather events in 2021.