One Killed, 37 Injured in Massive Ontario Tornado

The town of Goderich sorts through the rubble as it tries to account for one of the worst storms in recent Canadian history.

The worst tornado to hit Canada in decades blew through the western Ontario town of Goderich yesterday, killing one person and injuring at least 37. The 300-kilometre-an-hour storm swept through the scenic Lake Huron community on Sunday afternoon, tearing a swath through downtown Goderich and destroying dozens of businesses and homes in the town of some 8,000, including Goderich's historic courthouse. Thousands were left without power. Municipal leaders have declared a state of emergency to allow the provincial and federal governments to release disaster-assistance funds to help in the cleanup in the community known as the "prettiest town in Canada." The storm was the most powerful to have hit Ontario since at least 1996, with one Environment Canada official calling it the worst he'd seen in his 36 years with the agency.