As some victims of the Vaughan tornado begin to move back into their homes, others whose homes were more damaged are being told they may not be able to go back for up to six months.
Daniel Belli, whose home in the Jane Street and Major MacKenzie Drive area was damaged, says he was told by officials that he may not be able to return until six months from now.
"Right now I'm a little overwhelmed with retrieving things and finding a place to live. So if anyone's renting a house, I'll be there," he said.
His son's bedroom was torn off by the wind. He says his home took a direct hit from the tornado. It is visibly the most damaged on the block.
Mayor Linda Jackson has lifted Vaughan's state of emergency that had been in place since the tornado hit on Thursday evening.
She says the power has been restored to affected residents and York Regional Police have reported no security issues in the area.
Jackson says that York Region emergency services, the Red Cross, and Salvation Army will still remain on site to help any people who need it.
Construction crews that are helping people board up their windows have worked 15 hour days.
Jackson thanked emergency crews, residents and businesses that have supported the community in its time of need.
Belli says he is receiving many kind offers from the neighbourhood and friends.
"We have a lot of support. All the neighbours have banded together. It's actually quite wonderful," he told CP24.
"I think I could stay in everyone's house for the next three months and go house to house with all the offers I have," he said, smiling.
He says the fire marshal let him return to his home Friday night to get clothes and other items. One insurance adjuster on site said that damage to one of the homes was about $500,000.
Jackson said she knew of at least six residents who were having problems getting their insurance company to send adjusters. Those problems were cleared up once she personally called the companies.
About 600 homes in Vaughan are damaged, and 44 have been declared structurally unsafe and cannot be occupied right now. It is not clear how many will have to be demolished down the road.
Building supply stores are on site donating plywood, buckets, flashlights, garbage bags and other supplies. A large pizza chain is providing food to those who have none.
Meanwhile, at least one resident says he is concerned about ambulance response times during the storm.
He says emergency services are doing a good job, but when his brother sustained injuries due to the tornado, it took an ambulance 3.5 hours to arrive.
Silvio, who didn't give his last name, said that his 72-year-old brother fell down the stairs as his house began to shake.
"Three and a half hours for an ambulance when the hospital is just five minutes away from here....that's my main concern right now," he said.
"Roofs can be fixed."
His brother now is now being moved to the intensive care unit in hospital. He is suffering from broken ribs, a punctured lung, and other injuries.
Emergency responders were ordered to wait until the storm passed by their stations before they could leave on Thursday.
On Saturday, federal Minister of Public Safety, Peter Van Loan toured the four areas most hit by the disaster.
Van Loan says the federal government has an emergency response plan and that it is too early to make any promises.
"When there are disasters like this there's a formula that kicks in and that determines whether and to what extent funding is available," he told reporters.
He said there is a mathematical formula in place that would prevent this from becoming a political issue. Jackson says the city would have to go through the province first in order to get funding.
"There's still a lot of devastation here," said Mayor Jackson.
"The spirits of my residents are still very good. They're a little afraid and I think the shock is finally hitting them that they've got a lot of structural damage and now a lot of these residents know its going to be a long time before they're back in their homes," she said.
Hurricane investigators confirm that four tornadoes touched down in Southern Ontario Thursday.
Environment Canada says they touched down in Vaughan, Newmarket, Milton and the town of Durham, south of Owen Sound. An 11-year-old boy was killed in Durham when he was hit by storm debris.
The tornado that hit Vaughan was rated a level two out of a possible five. That means winds reached speeds of up to 240 kilometres per hour.
Building inspectors are out again checking damaged homes on Saturday.
St. Peter's Catholic School was one of those buildings, and Jackson said the York Catholic District School Board would likely update parents next week about whether the school will open in time for the September start of the school year.
