Severe weather wreaks havoc on dairy farm in Lambton Shores

It was a frightening experience at aThedford, Ont.dairy farm Sunday morning when a strong stormripped through the farm anddestroyedseveral structures.

"I wasn't thinking, I was just running," Eddy Van Engelen, owner of Van Engelen Dairy farm, said. "We were just shocked to see how much damage there was."

Severe weather prompted Environment Canada to issue tornado warnings across much of SouthernOntario but itcould not immediately determine if it was a tornado that hit in the area of the farm or if it was just storm-force winds.

The weather agency said a team from Western University's Northern Tornado Projectwill be travelling to the area in the coming weeks to help make thatdetermination.

Van Engelen said he was expecting a storm, but not until later in the afternoon. He saidthe strong winds hit the farmat about 10 a.m.

"It was a total surprise to us. We didn't expect it."

Van Engelen said the stormwas over within minutes, but it destroyed a dry shed and a dairy barn. It alsosnapped several trees,did some damage to a houseand took the blades off a wind turbine that belongs to the farm across the road.

"We have a lot of other barns, it actually just took our smallest barn," he said. "We're going to rebuild and it'll just take time, but the cattle will be fine inside the barn, I think, we just won't have a roof on it."

Thankfully, Van Engelen said, neither the five people who were atthe farm when it happened, nor the up to 400 cattle were hurt.

"I can't really say that I saw the tornado but it was very powerful winds," Van Engelensaid. "I went inside a dry shed and looked back and everything was gone."

Following the storm, neighbours came by the farm to help with the damage, VanEngelensaid, adding that the farm does have insurance that will hopefully cover the damage.

"It's still a disaster area, but we're piling it all up and I think by tonight, most of it will be cleaned up."