HOLD ON TO YOUR HOUSES

WILD WEATHER SET TO RETURN

TASMANIANS have been warned to leave their tie-downs in place as damaging wind is expected to lash the state again tomorrow.

The warning came as the state was battered by strong gusts of more than 100km/h in some suburbs, ripping off roofs, uprooting trees and causing power outages to thousands of homes.

HOWLING wind tore roofs off houses, toppled trees and cut power to large sections of Hobart early Tuesday.

Lenah Valley was one of the worst-hit areas, leaving local resident Graeme Chequer without power on Tuesday morning.

Mr Chequer said the wind was so fierce he decided not to go outside that morning.

“I stayed in bed. I thought, ‘There’s no power, I can’t make toast or a cup of tea’, that’s why I’m still in my dressing gown,” Mr Chequer said.

“I was looking out the back window at the trees and saw how much they were bending. Down over the brow of the hill it was particularly intense.”

SES volunteer Alex Kendall got out of bed at 4am to answer the call to action.

He spent the early hours of Tuesday attending to a house in Lenah Valley that had half of its roof blown off.

Mr Kendall said he was exhausted by the morning’s events, but that he was always happy to help those in need.

“There’s plenty more energy in the tank, but I’m looking forward to knocking off, going home, and having a nap for a while. Then it’s off to work,” Mr Kendall said.

SES Tasmania assistant director Leon Smith said the wind gusts were particularly damaging because they came from a south-westerly direction, whereas many Hobart houses were designed to resist the prevailing northwesterly winds.

Mr Smith said residents should remain vigilant, with south-westerly winds more common during early spring.

“These winds are extremely dangerous and we do make a concerted effort to inform Tasmanians of the risks associated with high-wind events like this,” Mr Smith added.

SES volunteers also attended to several trees that had been blown over, two right in front of driveways.

No trees had reportedly fallen on to any houses.