Repairs are underway after the Toronto Wildlife Centre was significantly damaged in Wednesday’s storm.Intense wind and hail from the storm lifted off parts of the roof, damaged many windows, and flooded parts of the complex, located at Downsview Park in North York. Officials say five recovering pigeons escaped when one of its outdoor aviaries was completely destroyed. At least one other outdoor enclosure sustained moderate damage, and a large portion of the security fencing around the enclosures was knocked down.“Our staff of volunteers were working away, September is super busy for us with animal admissions, and then all of sudden just got hit with these crazy high winds and hail,” said Nathalie Karvonen, the executive director of the centre who adds they’ve never seen this kind of damage in the three decades they’ve been operating. “They were actually getting tornado warnings on their phones …really high winds and hail, they could hear the hail battering on things. Windows started blowing in, the building started flooding, so it was pretty crazy.”“Fortunately, none of the animals were impacted by it. Where the windows blew in seemed to be mainly in the hallways and in the hotline office, not so much in areas where the animals were.”The impact of the damage was not only felt on the centre itself. Some staff who were sheltering inside the building during the storm came outside only to find broken windows on their vehicles. Volunteers have been working the past few days to get things cleared up and repairs are ongoing. Adding to the difficult situation is the fact that the centre operates solely on donations.“There are some things that insurance won’t cover, and the unexpected cost of repairs places an enormous strain on the essential funds that are needed to help care for wildlife. We’re reaching out to our compassionate community with an appeal to help us repair, rebuild, or replace,” the centre said in a Facebook post. Officials are hoping that some tradespeople will come forward with some assistance as they carry out urgent repairs while at the same time continuing to provide care for animals being brought to the centre.