Residents in Mississauga and Brampton are surveying the damage Saturday after a powerful thunderstorm packing high winds walloped parts of the GTA on Friday afternoon and evening (May 4).

The spring storm, with measured wind gusts exceeding 100 kilometres per hour, cut a swath through Peel, damaging buildings, knocking down trees and causing power outages for thousands of customers.

According to Mississauga Fire and Rescue, a home on Chaucer Avenue in Mississauga was destroyed after a falling tree caused a fire. An elderly woman at the residence was sent to hospital with minor injuries and has since been released.

Another tree nearly hit a school bus carrying up to 37 students on Sayers Road in Clarkson. The bus suffered minor damage and no injuries were reported.

Emergency crews were kept busy throughout the storm, answering dozens of calls as residents reported fallen trees blocking roads throughout the areas hit hardest by the storm.

“(The lines) were just going crazy, with call after call after call,” said platoon Mississauga chief, Daniel Ennamorato. “Everybody was maxed out. The trucks didn’t stop, our dispatchers didn’t stop, everybody was going.”

Hydro repair crews were scrambled as the high winds and falling trees knocked out power across both cities. According to Alectra Utilities, approximately 100,000 customers across the GTA were affected.

As of 8 a.m. Saturday, 777 Mississauga customers and a further 137 in Brampton remained without power, wrote Alectra in a release.

Alectra anticipates that service will be restored to all remaining homes and businesses that do not have damage to customer-owned equipment... later Saturday or early Sunday morning, according to the release.

“In the meantime, those who are still without power are encouraged to remain patient and to check on relatives and neighbours who may require assistance.” the release added.