‘Everything’s gone’: Roof blows off Manitoba home during high winds

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‘Everything’s kind of damaged’

Topsoil stripped from farm field

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A Manitoba farmer got home just in time to see the roof of his home blown off due to a powerful wind and dust storm that hit Manitoba on Thursday.

Darren Charron, who farms near Russell, saw the wind lift the roof off of his mobile home after coming back from town.

“It was super windy coming back,” he told CTV News on Thursday. “When I pulled into the driveway, I saw the roof just peel right back and tear right off.”

Charron said a friend came by to help him try to shore up and brace the walls to help prevent further damage to his home.

“Everything’s gone; it just got sucked right up,” he said. “It just rained on the bed and everything’s kind of damaged in there, so that’s kind of a write-off.

“The kitchen area is kind of a write-off, and you can see light coming through where the ceiling was pulled up.”

Widespread damage across the province

Russell was far from the only Manitoba community affected by the storm. In Niverville, uprooted trees toppled onto sheds and light poles, prompting responses from both Manitoba Hydro and the local fire department.

In Brandon, a long-standing Esso sign on Middleton Avenue — just off the Trans-Canada Highway — was knocked to the ground around 7 p.m. A representative for the location said the sign had stood for 21 years and that it remains unclear whether the sign can be restored or if it will need to be replaced entirely.

In Carman, Deputy Chief Joey McElroy said the Carman-Dufferin Fire Department battled six fires in 24 hours, with crews faced with unfavourable conditions.

“The winds have been excessive. We got out of the truck at times and you couldn’t even breathe. Debris, soot, everything just flying in your face and then the fire’s moving fast too. You’re trying to get out ahead of it without getting in jeopardy,” McElroy said.

The town’s veterinary clinic also sustained damage, with staff arriving to find shingles displaced from the roof.

“I just kind of cleaned up the shingles and started working, told my boss about it and said we’ll have to fix that when the wind dies down,” said registered vet tech Teja Penner.

Multiple communities reported 100 km/h-plus wind gusts

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), preliminary data from the storm showed eight communities reporting wind gusts higher than 100 km/hour.

Deloraine was the community with the strongest gust, reporting gusts at 119 km/hour. Minto was in second place with 113 km/hour gusts, and Brandon reported 106 km/hour gusts.

Holland and Glenboro each reported top wind gusts of 102 km/hour, while Shilo, Treherne and Ninette all reported wind gusts of 100 km/hour.

Winnipeg’s top wind gust was reported to be 87 km/h.

• READ MORE: Manitoba dust storm leaves downed power lines, outages in its wake

With files from CTV News’ Jon Hendricks and Joseph Bernacki