Within minutes of news that a tornado had touched down and ripped through a neighbourhood in Barrie’s south-east end, local businesses and residents were already looking for ways to help.
The EF-2 tornado, which has been confirmed by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) as having touched down in Barrie Thursday afternoon, left hundreds of residents without power, and many without a home.
In a video posted to social media around 10:30 p.m. on July 15, Mayor Jeff Lehman commented on what he called the “unbelievable amount of support” from local residents and businesses he was witnessing while standing outside the evacuation centre at St. Gabriel School, showing a table overflowing table of food, drinks and snacks to help the people who were affected by the tornado.
“Thank you so much Barrie for everything that’s already being done. We have lots of supplies here for people who need it. This is just another indication of how this community pulls together in tough times,” he said.
An update from Prince William Way in the tornado-affected area. Our city is already showing it's spirit, and the first responders here have done remarkable work. So much help has arrived and been offered. Thank you all. pic.twitter.com/QaMnHdv2cB
— Jeff Lehman (@Mayor_Jeff) July 16, 2021
Others echoed those sentiments.
“Humanity you scored one tonight … Local business and community members organized in a matter of minutes and were able to feed countless families tonight all out of the goodness of their hearts," wrote Ken Spurvey in a Facebook post last night.
"Though this night was a tragedy for some families seeing community spirit, generosity and togetherness warms even the coldest of hearts,” he continued. “Stand true in the face of adversity and you will be unstoppable when times are good."
In a second video, posted this morning, Lehman said dozens of families have already received assistance courtesy of Red Cross, and emergency personnel were preparing to start the “difficult and detailed work” of assessing the disaster area.
While Alectra crews have repaired the power lines in the area and the road has been cleared for emergency vehicles, Lehman urged people to stay away from the area, noting the road is still closed to traffic and only residents are able to get in and out.
“If you are concerned or want to support, please call the Red Cross or if you have a specific donation call Service Barrie at 726- 4242,” he said. “This could have been so much worse. It’s just incredible we didn’t have more serious injuries. Thank you to everybody out there who has offered help.”
Nikki Glahn, the founder of Barrie Families Unite (BFU), told BarrieToday she is not surprised by the outpouring of support she has seen not only on the BFU page, but all over social media. That said, Glahn noted officials are asking that no more physical donations be dropped off at the evacuation centre as they are at capacity.
“(It is) incredible and more help will be needed, but at the moment, they need some time to breathe, assess all the incoming donations and figure out the next steps,” she said. “We were at the warehouse this morning and brought in two truckloads of essentials.”
They have also coordinated with Home Depot to help with shelves, tables, fridges and some high visibility vests. “Local businesses (are) stepping up.”
Glahn noted BFU has set up a way to e-transfer funds given tangible donations are no longer being accepted, which will allow the organization to track donations to ensure they hit this specific cause.
“We are loving the enthusiasm of everyone who is messaging and ... commenting and what we are doing at this time is tracking all the incoming messages of offers of help that we've had come our way so that when we need to act, we can quickly find those offers again,” said Glahn.
“The good news is, that from all accounts we've heard, things are being very well managed and our city's finest are implementing all their skills to ensure everyone in our community is safe and looked after in the immediate aftermath of such a traumatic event.”
Glahn added while BFU appreciates all the offers of items and eager suggestions for fundraising they still don’t yet know what the needs are.
“Hug your loved ones, and be ready to act once we know how we are needed. We promise to keep you posted as soon as we know more details. We feel that our work (BFU Community) will begin once the families are allowed to go back to assess the damage, etc. So, we are going to need to be ready for the longer haul in helping get these families back on their feet.”
BFU officials are also commending the construction workers that were working in the area of Mapleview and Prince William, noting they jumped right to action when the tornado hit, clearing the roads of debris so emergency vehicles could get through, directing traffic, and helping to keep the situation under control.
Dave McLean, owner of Bradford Landscaping, is one of the many businesses stepping up to offer whatever assistance they can following yesterday’s event.
“Our company is based in Simcoe County … and me and my family live in Barrie in the Mapleview area. We have a one-and-a-half-year-old (baby), so I could only imagine the state we’d be in if something happened,” he said Friday morning, adding that offering up assistance was a no-brainer. “If you have the resources (to help)...it’s not always about the money.”
McLean said a crew of seven volunteers would be heading to the area this afternoon with a couple of trucks to see if they can assist with clean up.
“We want to give a helping hand to whoever needs it, whether it’s moving some goods around, moving some furniture if they’re allowed into their properties and doing a bit of clean up," he said.
"The guys are all happy to help and will probably be going all weekend if need be,” McLean said. “It’s devastating, but it’s also really heartwarming to see that I am definitely not the only one (offering to help). Just looking on social media there are hundreds of people willing to help, so many different companies and guys with big trucks. It’s really nice to know this is the kind of community we live in.”
Multiple Facebook groups, including Barrie Tornado Volunteers and Barrie Tornado Resident Support Group have also been created and have garnered more 1,200 members in less than 12 hours.
Christian Linkert owns The Sun Emporium, which has a location on Big Bay Point Road, about five kilometres from where the tornado hit. He has created a Barrie Strong fundraising page on his company’s website, and told BarrieToday as of 11 a.m. July 16, it has already raised $2,000 to support the victims.
“This community has been behind me supporting me and allowed me to survive during this pandemic and now it's my turn to return the favour,” he said. “How could I not step up immediately when this community has done so much for me and is in need.”
GoodLife Fitness Barrie also offered up its facility early this morning providing showers, shampoo, conditioner, body wash sinks and mirrors as well as electrical outlets to charge cell phones to help anyone in the Barrie area affected by yesterday’s tornado,
“This was a pretty scary day for everyone in the Barrie area and knowing we were finally able to reopen our Club, we wanted to do what we could to help," said Ella Bennett, GoodLife Fitness Divisional Manager for the Barrie location.
"For myself and our club associates, these are our neighbours, friends, family who were affected by the tornado so opening our doors for a tiny bit of relief was a no-brainer," she said.
”If you’re displaced, we want you to know a hot shower with shampoo and soap, a place to charge your phone, or even just a break in the air conditioning is here for you.”
While Bennett said they haven’t been keeping a tally, they have seen a handful of people come in this morning to take advantage of the offer, adding staff at the club are feeling a mix of excitement about finally being reopened after closure but also disbelief about the damage in the area from the storm.
“People often call our Club their third place – so they have their home, their work and then the gym. But with damage done to people’s homes we want people to come in for a hot shower, to charge their phone or for just a bit of community and support," said Bennett.
"This can be their temporary home away from home," she said, noting the plan is to continue to offer the facility to those in need for the next two weeks, however they will extend it should the need continue beyond that.
“The hearts of the entire GoodLife family go out to the people who were hurt or homes were damaged by the tornado. We’re all trying to recover from the pandemic and now have this added to our plate... but we all truly believe that in coming together we can come out of this mentally and physically stronger than ever," said Bennett.
