Family in mourning after deadly tornado
A deadly tornado tore through parts of south Auckland yesterday morning, leaving a man dead and trail of destruction in its path. Caroline Williams, George Block and Catrin Owen.
A family is today grieving the loss of a loved one while south Auckland residents continue damage control on their properties following the deadly tornado that ripped through Papatoetoe yesterday.
Auckland mayor Phil Goff said last night about 240 houses were damaged, including more than 60 that were uninhabitable, while also paying tribute to the worker killed at the container terminal in Wiri, acknowledging the man’s wha¯ nau. ‘‘Our hearts go out to the family,’’ Goff said.
Sunday News understands the dead man was a forklift repair technician subcontracted to Ports of Auckland’s South Auckland Freight Hub, and was on site conducting routine repairs when the tornado dislodged several containers. Goff said the man had been thrown into the air.
The director of the firm the man worked for declined to comment last night. ‘‘I’m not ready to have this conversation,’’ he said. It’s understood family were last night gathering to comfort one another.
The tornado, which struck about 8am, ripped roofs from homes, downed power lines, smashed business premises, and left debris scattered across roads and gardens, while injuring at least two others. Emergency services grappled with 100 calls and warned people to stay out of the area, while Civil Defence set up a welfare centre in Otara.
Goff said the scenes in Papatoetoe were like a war-zone,
with downed power lines and roofing iron flung hundreds of metres. Residents have been told they could face days without power. But Goff was counting his blessings: more people would likely have been killed if the tornado had struck at a busier time, he said. ‘‘It’s an absolute tragedy that we’ve lost a person,
but it could have been so much worse.’’
Auckland train services were temporarily impacted, with cancellations on the southern and eastern lines that saw Auckland Transport warning Super Rugby Final fans to take alternative transport, while scrambling to put on extra services for those travelling to Eden Park for the BluesHighlanders face off.
Last night weather authorities warned of more unsettled weather, with possible tornados for Northland.
An active rain band was moving south over Northland last night and early today,