Deadly tornado leaves family in mourning
A family are today grieving the loss of a loved one and South Auckland residents are repairing their properties following the deadly tornado that ripped through Papatoetoe yesterday.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff last night estimated about 240 houses had been damaged, and more than 60 were uninhabitable. He expressed sympathy to the wha¯ nau of a worker killed at the container terminal in Wiri. ‘‘Our hearts go out to the family,’’ he said.
The Sunday Star-Times understands the man was a forklift repair technician, subcontracted to Ports of Auckland’s South Auckland Freight Hub. It’s understood he was on site conducting routine repairs when the tornado dislodged several containers. Goff said he had been thrown into the air. Tributes were flowing for him on social media last night.
The director of the firm the man worked for declined to comment. 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 Civil Defence set up a welfare centre in O¯ tara for those affected.
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 the mayor said others might have died had the tornado had struck at a busier time. ‘‘It’s an absolute tragedy that we’ve lost a person, but it could have been so much worse.’’
Auckland train services were temporarily affected, and fans heading to the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman Final at Eden Park were advised to take alternative transport.
Last night weather forecasters were warning of more unsettled weather. An active rain band moving south over Northland is expected to bring thunderstorms, localised heavy rain, strong winds and the risk of tornadoes.
MetService said winds could gust to 90kmh or 100kmh in Northland, Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty.
Heavy rain is also forecast for Bay of Plenty, Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay, southern Wairarapa and Kaiko¯ ura.
Papatoetoe father-of-one Ryan Lein feared for the safety of his wife and child when the twister hit their home, destroying the roof, and leaving him scrambling to protect his home from flooding with plastic coverings and tubs.
‘‘I was sat in my front room and suddenly the weather got way worse and things started flying everywhere,’’ Lein said. Loud cracks and bangs came from the roof before tiles started falling into the kitchen and bedroom.
‘‘We were lucky that our 6-month-old baby woke earlier than normal this morning, as giant shards of glass and tiles fell into the cot. Now our roof is leaking.’’