Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 1

BEST COPY AVAILABLE The Edmonton Two hours of terror Flood warning In effect for northern Alberta B1 Damage could top $100 million, Insurers say B2 Death came quickly, pathologist says B3 Predicting tornado impossible forecaster B4 400 jobs In jeopardy at Stelco B6 The story In pictures B8 TVs v. I '2 SI 1 I A ilW 50 Cents (Metro only) SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 1987 Families torn apart by twister III I 1 1 3 1 1 4 Hi IK' PICTUREj: Karen Sornberger 5 It Clareview street a hive of activity as residents pick up pieces path of Friday afternoon 's tornado was just beyond the backyards Final toll 25, police believe it fy.y By KIM McLEOD and Journal Staff Writers Residents spared the fury of Edmonton's killer tornado opened their hearts Saturday to who spent a grim day searching for signs of loved ones in heaps of rubble. Spokesmen for the insurance in dustry emergency committee handling claims from the twister estimated the damage total could exceed $100 million. Many tornado survivors spent the day picking through mountains of debris in a southeast industrial park, and in a northeast trailer-park-turned-graveyard by the brute force of the twister one of the worst in Canadian history. The area death toll stood at 36 late Friday night but dropped to 20 in Edmonton and five in the County of Strathcona a revision not explained by city officials.

Injuries caused by the storm soared into the hundreds. Endless generosity by residents coupled with the discovery of two infants who clung to life under piles of wreckage were the only bright spots in a dreary day. Baby plucked from rubble In one instance, a policeman, picking his way through the twisted wreckage of a trailer, heard a cry beneath him and was able to pluck an unidentified infant from the rubble. Edmontonians donated 350 units of blood and jammed the city's emergency relief centre with enough clothing, food and supplies to fill more than five warehouses. Officials were forced to ask Edmontonians to temporarily halt donations.

Stories of families literally torn asunder by the tornado prompted calls of support from as far away as Nashville, Boston and Montreal. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney pledged federal support for the disaster victims. Premier Don Getty, who toured the scene of the destruction, told survivors "not to worry about the dollars, we'll provide them." Getty, Labor Minister Ian Reid and Technology Minister Les Young, stood speechless in the mobile park as they watched survivors carrying what remained of their lives in green garbage bags. Police also charged two mobile park residents with theft after reports of looting at the site. Scene called 'bombing zone' Deputy Prime Minister Dofl Mazankowski, who flew over the path of destruction Saturday, described the scene as a "bombing zone." Mayor Laurence Decore praised the more than 1,000 city employees and hundreds of volunteers who helped with search and rescue, but expressed concern that the weather office should have issued an earlier storm warning.

Decore's call for a review of the Alberta Weather Office's warning procedures was met with a quick defence by the office's meteorolo gist. Dave Burnett. 2 "The mayor like all of us, greatly saddened and frustrated by the inability to do something so he's darting about looking for some cause for such a horrible thing," Burnett said. Survivors of the carnage found refuge in the Londonderry Inn al 131st Avenue and Fort Road Hundreds flooded into the hotel seeking food, medical aid and word of the location of loved ones! Hotel manager Jason Braun said the reunions of loved ones "just ate your stomach out." Others, like Brian Bowyer, were less fortunate. Bowyer, whose home was destroyed, is awaiting word on the fate of his sister Kelly Pancel, 18.

Bowyer last remembers seeing Kelly pinned between two trailers shortly before he was taken to hospital. "I tried every way possible I could to get a pulse but I could not get anything." i i fc i .,4 r- 4 i By RICHARD HELM Journal Staff Writer City police believe they have found the last casualty of the tornado, that ripped a deadly swath through Edmonton Friday. I Twenty-five people lost their lives to the storm. Insp. Frank Topp declared it extremely doubtful early Saturday night that any dead or injured remain in the tornado ruins.

Topp said 1 1 bodies were found in Evergreen Mobile Home Park in the city's northeast, nine in the the southeast industrial area and five in the county of Strathcona. i- The search for survivors has ended on the South Side and po- lice believe they will find no more bodies in Evergreen, he said. "All residents of the destroyed and damaged trailers have been accounted for," Topp said. "There remains a remote possibility that a visitor may remain hidden in there somewhere but it's highly unlikely." Searchers have gone through the Evergreen mobile home park "with a fine-tooth comb and they're satisfied their searches will reveal no more bodies," he said. The medical examiner's office said the victims died from blunt force injuries they were either struck by chunks of flying debris or were hurled to their deaths against walls or other solid objects.

Here is a list of confirmed dead from the Evergreen trailer park: Sharon Andruchow, 15 Merle Bain, 50 Marie Barker, 50 Lloyd Fankhanel, 55 Etta Nolin, 73 Fred Nolin, 83 Mary Putnam, 59 Confirmed dead from the southeast industrial area were: George Demetrios, 19 Ajmer Dhaliwal, 30 Richard Gillespie, 29 Daniel Lewis, 1 8 Edito Mendosa, 40 Clement Nault, 54 Graham Palmer, 43 Gregory Trabenik, 41. Topp said it is likely that many Evergreen residents whose units were undamaged will be allowed back in their homes sometime this evening. The emergency response operation had wound down dramatically by the evening following a full day of painstaking searches and cross-referencing missing persons reports. The police command post in Mill Woods is being withdrawn but regular patrols will continue among the damaged homes there. PICTURE: Tony Bock, Toronto Star Manny Fitzgerald, 16, and Lisa Biddiscomb, 22, comfort their mother Marlene Fitzgerald, 46 grandparents Etta Nolin, 73, and Fred Nolin, 83, died in Evergreen mobile home park Returning to normal The Journal resumed normal operations late Saturday afternoon after power failures caused by Friday's tornado crippled our Eastgate production plant.

Editor Linda Hughes' column B2 The power interruption had forced us to drastically scale down Saturday's edition and to limit it to coverage of the disaster. All the regular Saturday features, such as Travel, Trends and Religion appear in today's edition alongside Sunday Eyeopener and Brunch. No paper Monday Showers with gradual clearing in the evening. High 16. Winds northwest 40-60 kmh.

Chance of rain 60 per cent Monday: sunny, 21. Details H10 firs Patterns H7 Phyllis Mitchell CS Religion C10 Sports El Television F7 The Provincial C12 Tornado B1 Travel C6 Weather H10 World A9 Viewpoint B4 CLASSIFIED ADS Index HS Order form H10 Employment H6 Mini Market H8 Real Estate G7-12 Vehicles H12-15 Ann Landers 012 Bingos F8 Births H5 Bob Greene C5 Brunch C1 Business D1 Canada A2 Careers D4 Comics H3 Crossword HB-9 Deaths Die Maclean CI Or Donohue D12 Entertainment F1 HorcM)pe H7 Junior Journal D11 Lifestyle D12 Lotto 6'49 C12 Movie Directory F3 Olive B5 Opinion B4 -i 1 Lotto 649 draw C1 2 Eyeopener Startling cases of how the Soviets recruit Canadian spies. G1 Published daiy by the proprietor. SouTham Inc at The Journal Buildmg Edmonton T5J 2S6 Second class ma registration number 0566 Edmonton Food Bank is collecting non-perishable provisions today and Monday at Heritage Days in Hawrelak Park, at firehalls and designated Safeway stores. 558296" 0 3.