Double trouble as twin twisters strike
Roofs and homes damaged in New Plymouth, Ohope
Two separate tornadoes damaged properties on either side of the North Island last night.
New Plymouth was hit by a tornado around 5.30pm, uprooting trees and tearing iron roofing from houses. About the same time, a twister came off the sea towards Ohope in Bay of Plenty.
Shaun Hall was driving home from work in New Plymouth when he turned a corner and all the power went out.
“I was like ‘Oh, that is weird’ and I couldn’t see anything because it went pitch black. As I pulled over I noticed sheets of iron flying through the sky and I clicked straight away what it was. I quickly grabbed my phone and took a quick video.”
Hall saw about five or six roofs get ripped off nearby houses.
“It probably lasted all of about 20 seconds before it headed up the road,” he said.
Power was cut to parts of New Plymouth after it was struck by lightning, thunder and heavy rain.
On the east coast, several houses in Ohope were damaged after another tornado struck around 5.30pm.
A spokeswoman said police received calls about a tornado forming and damaging houses and roofs on Harbour Rd, Ohope, near Whakatane.
The tornado caused roofs to be lifted from buildings and windows to smash. There were no reports of injuries in Ohope, said fire communications manager Craig Dally.
The damage was isolated to Ohope and it was possible the tornado died or headed out to sea.
General manager of the Ohope Beach Top 10 Holiday Park, Mark Inman, said a building there was “blown to pieces” by the tornado.
“It was in and out like a flash and, yeah, there was a bit noise and wind,” Inman said.