The national capital region of Canada is no stranger to the vagaries of harsh weather - fierce ice storms and blizzards, mountains of snow hurtling down from the skies, rains that adamantly refuse to desist, freezing rains that turn roads into skating rinks, bitter cold that freezes exposed people to death within minutes and even searing heat that makes people wonder whether they are in Canada or in the Sahara or Gobi deserts.

Residents of the national capital embrace these challenges and adapt – skating and skiing in the winter, fishing, sailing, camping and swimming in the summer, relishing the beauty of the changing colors of leaves in autumn and marveling at the majesty of the shifting seasons. In the winter the adventurous build elaborate ice structures on frozen Dow’s Lake, which awe visitors till they melt under the gaze of a resurgent sun as winter ebbs. Older and weaker people prefer the comfort of heated shopping malls to stroll and socialize.

This past winter Ottawa briefly became the coldest capital city in the world, with a low of -29 C. It beat such rivals as Ulan Bator, Astana, Moscow, Helsinki, Reykjavik, Tallinn and Nuuk, Greenland.

Those living in the Canadian capital do not much mind the onslaught of old man winter – they are used to it, know that cold spells last just a few days and then it becomes milder, houses, offices and even buses are heated and warm clothes offer protection from frostbites and pneumonia.

Of course the poorer people, with inadequately heated houses, and those working outdoors, do suffer. This is a part of living in Canada. Affluent retired people seek the sun in the Caribbean, southern US or Europe, just as birds and butterflies fly away with the approach of winter, returning only when summer beckons them home.

This year the national capital faced a hitherto unknown challenge – tornadoes. In more than 50 years in Ottawa, we have experienced all kinds of weather, and even a mild earthquake or two. But this year we were stunned when tornadoes smashed into our area.

One after the other they came, at least six, and battered the area ruthlessly. Winds howled at more than 200 kilometers an hour. They flattened houses, ripped roofs, toppled 150-year-old trees, flipped cars and sent them flying. Fortunately no one died in the capital region though 30 people were injured and six were hospitalized. Some 171,000 people lost power.

I had gone grocery shopping with my brother after Friday prayers and after dropping him at his place was just a few minutes away from home when my telephone went berserk. It started shrieking at me to seek shelter because a tornado was headed my way. At about the same time my wife drove back from work and we rushed indoors.

Then the lights disappeared. For five days we had no power. Fortunately, it wasn’t winter and we didn’t freeze. We were also lucky that our house was not damaged, though some shingles and a huge tree in the backyard fell.

Because our oven uses gas rather than electricity, we were able to invite neighbors for meals and filled their thermoses with hot water. A friend loaned us his camping lantern and we did not have to grope in the dark.

Hundreds of homes in our area were damaged and several collapsed. Arlington Woods is famous in Ottawa for its majestic 150-year-old trees, mostly pines. But they were no match for the ferocity of nature. Several of them were toppled giving a beautiful and prestigious locality a barren and desolate look.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to help. City of Ottawa crew, police and fire fighters worked non-stop. Neighbors offered food and shelter. Some Good Samaritans cut up and dragged our fallen trees from the backyard to the front to be picked up by city trucks. They were from Manitoba province and said they go all over the world to help.

Our neighborhood was among the hardest hit. Police cordoned off our area for days and only allowed residents to enter because some houses had been flattened and residents had moved out.

Though it was a freak storm and caused “pretty significant” damage, according to the Environment and Climate Change Canada, it also brought out the best among neighbors and citizens. Christian, Muslim and Sikh organizations offered free food. Relatives and friends invited us for meals and several asked us to stay with them till our area returned to normal.

We did not have to. But the tornado experience reaffirmed what we already know – Canadians are among the most civilized, welcoming and helpful people in the world and we are fortunate that we are citizens of Canada.