One year ago today, the town of Goderich was hit by a devastating tornado. More than 150 businesses were damaged or destroyed in the town’s core alone. Houses were torn apart, leaving residents without a home.

One person was killed, more than 35 others were injured.

Twelve months later, there has been quite a bit of progress.  

The town has been slowly rebuilding. In the main square, most businesses are back up and running. Business owners replaced shattered windows and fixed up the façade where necessary. Town life is thriving once again.

Councillor Judy Crawford says tourists have been flocking to Goderich this summer to see how the repairs are coming along.

But there is still damage visible in the south end of the square, the area downtown that was worst hit.

Several buildings that had to be torn down still have to be replaced. The businesses that were located there are either still to reopen or have relocated.

A construction crew has just finished pouring concrete where another building had to rebuilt from scratch. And other business owners are still working on getting their shops looking brand new and open to the public.

One difference many residents notice in the square is how bare it is one year later. Ninety-nine trees in the square were torn out from their roots. They have yet to be replanted. But the city plans to do that soon to make the square green and welcoming once again.

Meanwhile, two blocks east of the square is the worst hit residential street. Many homes at one corner of Cambria Rd had to be rebuilt from the ground up.  There seems to be no evidence of a storm there anymore, except for one house that was abandoned by its owner. Today, the roof is covered by a blue tarp and the windows are boarded up.

The one resident may have given up, but most residents have not. Their optimism is at an all-time high with life in the town slowly getting back to normal.