Three Tornadoes Leave Trail Of Destruction

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Two tornadoes touched down in east-central Alberta on the evening of July 8, leaving a trail of destruction from southwest of Paradise Valley to Dillberry Lake Provincial Park, where campers were forced to flee as a tornado tore through the campground.

The first tornado developed southwest of Paradise Valley at approximately 7:20 p.m., causing extensive damage to a rural farm property. About an hour later, at approximately 8:30 p.m., a second tornado struck the campground at Dillberry Lake Provincial Park while 42 campsites were occupied.

Although the storms caused widespread damage, there were no fatalities. Three people were transported to hospital following the Dillberry Lake tornado, and emergency responders worked through the night to ensure every registered camper was safely accounted for.

A press conference was held July 9 at the entrance to Dillberry Lake Provincial Park where representatives from the RCMP, Alberta Parks, the Municipal District of Wainwright and the provincial government outlined the response to the disaster.

According to the RCMP, officers from the Wainwright Detachment immediately responded after receiving the initial 911 call. Chauvin Fire Services, Emergency Medical Services and numerous other emergency agencies quickly joined the response.

The Alberta RCMP Real Time Operations Centre coordinated resources from surrounding detachments, while the Divisional Emergency Operations Centre was activated to provide additional support. Edmonton Police Service’s Air 1 helicopter, RCMP Air Services, Police Dog Services, the Tactical Support Group and Search and Rescue Alberta were also deployed.

Within two hours of the initial emergency call, a unified command post had been established, allowing responders to begin a coordinated search of the campground. Aircraft equipped with thermal imaging were used to search from the air before crews conducted a systematic ground search.

A reception centre was established at the Chauvin Community Centre at approximately 10:30 p.m., while an RCMP Victim Information Centre worked to reunite families and account for everyone who had been camping in the park. By approximately 1:30 a.m., officials confirmed every registered camper had been located.

“This response demonstrates the strength of our partnerships and the dedication of emergency responders across the region,” said Sgt. Michael Miller. “Through a coordinated effort, we were able to quickly establish command, conduct search-and-rescue operations, and ensure everyone affected by this event received the support they needed.”

RCMP also acknowledged that limited cellular coverage complicated the search-and-rescue effort. Some campers initially believed to be missing were later confirmed to have been away from the campground despite being registered guests.

M.D. of Wainwright Reeve Mike Wildeboer expressed relief that there had been no loss of life.

“On behalf of the Municipal District of Wainwright No. 61, I’d like to express our relief that all campers have been accounted for and there has been no loss of life,” Wildeboer said. “Our thoughts are with those affected and with everyone working through the aftermath of this event.”

He thanked the RCMP, fire services, EMS, search and rescue teams, Alberta Sheriffs, Alberta Parks and the many provincial and municipal partners whose efforts focused on public safety, assisting those affected and supporting recovery.

MLA Garth Rowswell praised the professionalism of emergency responders after visiting the emergency command centre in Wainwright.

“I have never been involved in an emergency situation like this, but I have to admire the responses that we’ve had from all the different levels of government,” Rowswell said.

Rowswell also said concerns raised during the emergency regarding limited cellular coverage in the area would be taken back to the provincial government.

“I’m really happy I came here and heard about those issues, and it sure would be nice to have good connectivity when you need it the most,” he said. “So, absolutely I will be taking it back.”

Alberta Parks Area Manager Katy Delves said Dillberry Lake Provincial Park remains closed while staff assess damage, restore critical infrastructure and remove hazards created by the storm.

“What we know is that a tornado touched down in the park,” Delves said. “It took a large piece of the campground. There’s a lot of trees down, so right now our focus is on safety and infrastructure assessment so that we can actually understand the scope and scale of the damage.”

Affected campground reservations are being automatically cancelled and refunded, with reservation holders being contacted directly.

Delves said Alberta Parks could not provide a reopening timeline until the full extent of the damage had been assessed.

“I am empathetic to our visitors,” she said. “This is a very popular campground in the summer. This lake means a lot to people. It means a lot to my own personal family.”

Campers who had been evacuated were being allowed to return to their sites in a controlled manner under RCMP supervision so they could safely inspect damage and retrieve personal belongings.

Earlier in the evening, the first tornado left significant damage northwest of Prospedct Valley and south of Paradise Valley.

Video recorded after the storm documented extensive damage at a rural farm property. Grain bins were torn from their foundations, Quonset buildings were destroyed, heavy equipment was displaced, mature trees were uprooted or snapped, and vehicles sustained significant damage. A truck and trailer were reportedly thrown from where they had been parked, while steel gates, fencing and farm structures were heavily damaged. The apparent path of the tornado also left debris scattered across the property.

Despite the severity of the damage, no injuries were reported in connection with the Paradise Valley tornado.

Since the press conference at Dillberry Lake the Northern Tornado Project has confirmed and said, “ The Paradise Valley/ Prospect Valley tornado tracked southeastward for 9.23km, along which it damaged many trees, swept a well-anchored manufactured home off its foundation, and lofted a grain truck roughly 100m into a forest. This EF2 tornado was estimated to have maximum wind speeds of 215km/h.

The Dillberry Lake tornado tracked through the Park and crossed into Saskatchewan, tracking towards Long Lake... It’s estimated that the maximum wind speeds of this EF2 tornado were 190km/h.”

According to County of Vermilion River Protective Services a third tornado spawned from a severe thunderstom on July 11 near the Hamlet of Tulliby Lake. and said, “at the time of the incident, the region was under a severe weather watch issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). A critical alert was issued by Alberta Emergency Alerts at 5:33 p.m. advising of a possible tornado northeast of Tulliby Lake.

Protective Services Officers reacted immediately and began co-ordinating with municipal and provincial resources, including the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA), emergency responders, local industry and utility companies.

At this time, there have been no reports of injuries. Several structures sustained damage, including industrial and agricultural sites. Power was out but has since been restored to the effected customers. Some roads may have fallen trees, crews are assessing the damage and working to clear any obstacles. The public is asked to avoid the area at this time as workers mitigate hazards.

A team of investigators from Western University – Northern Tornado Project will investigate but have confirmed a tornado touched down in the vicinity.

Further updates will be provided as additional information becomes available.”