The Current

Ottawa woman saw deck fly off her house as tornado bore down

Ramyza Naji told The Current's Kristin Nelson about her close call with the tornado that ripped through the Ottawa region last weekend.

Ramyza Naji was home alone when high winds struck at the weekend

Ramzya Naji saw the tornado approaching her home. (Kristin Nelson/CBC)

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Ramyza Naji was home alone in Ottawa's Dunrobin community over the weekend when she saw the tornado coming. Shortly after that, she saw the deck fly off her house.

She ran downstairs to her basement, falling and hurting her wrist on the way. But she was afraid of being alone, so ran back up. She could see the tornado coming.

"I come up, I go out, nobody's outside," she said.

"I go to my neighbour next door, they come out. They're scared, very scared."

The experience was so terrifying that Naji couldn't sleep for two days after the tornado hit. She's staying with her daughter-in-law Claudine Rached while the damage to her home is assessed.

The Current's Kristin Nelson has been in Ottawa meeting the people trying to pick up the pieces after the weekend's destruction. Listen to the full conversation with Anna Maria Tremonti near the top of this page.


Produced by Kristin Nelson and Liz Hoath.