Tornado tears up Nat’ Park
CAITLIN MOORBY speaks to National Park homeowners after Tuesday’s tornado...
The roof of Cowan family’s holiday home is gone. Someone’s floor lies in their backyard.
On Tuesday, a twister mowed through 14 homes at National Park Village, leaving 12 uninhabitable. One of the homes was the Cowan family’s, on Turner Pl.
Ray Cowan and his son Brett drove down from Auckland to see the damage. It was worse than Ray expected.
Another property’s roof has smashed into the side of the Cowans’ house, leaving a gaping hole in its side.
The roof has been torn off the house and garage, Ray said.
‘‘There’s also a lot of rubbish, but that’s come from other houses.
‘‘We’ve got someone else’s floor in the backyard and who knows where our roof is?’’
All that remains in the house are waterlogged beds, mattresses and a lounge suite, which will be taken to the landfill.
‘‘All the personal items have been removed. Things that have a lot of meaning to us, like photographs, we’ve been lucky to get,’’ Ray said.
Their vintage car, parked in the garage, also managed to survive relatively unscathed.
The Cowans have owned the holiday home for 33 years and never experienced a tornado, or anything like it.
At a briefing held by police on Tuesday night, Ray and Brett were told debris had scattered around properties inside the cordon.
‘‘Police explained just how dangerous the whole area is.
‘‘Large shards of glass are sticking up out of lawns, hence why they were not going to let anyone passed the cordon in the dark.’’
A few people are upset and are frustrated about having to wait to re-enter properties, Ray said.
‘‘But police have held firm. Fortunately, no one has been killed or injured and it is their intention to keep it that way.
‘‘We’ve been most impressed with the way Civil Defence has handled this whole thing.’’
Resident Paul Jenkinson was lying in bed in his Carroll Street home when the tornado struck on Tuesday morning.
‘‘Who knows where our roof is?’’
‘‘I was looking at sport results when the window on the side of the house blew out.
‘‘The TV fell on to the ground and I thought, earthquake’ then the whole back wall went.
‘‘I didn’t know what the bloody hell was going on.’’
The back wall of Jenkinson’s house has been pushed out; it’s still intact, but it’s on a lean. The ranch slider is also gone.
‘‘I can’t live there and I don’t know when I’ll be able to. Who knows how long it will take to fix?’’
Jenkinson only moved to the area six months ago.
Another home on the corner of Turner Pl and Buddo St has been completely demolished, a resident said.
‘‘Half of the contents of that house has been delivered on to the neighbouring property, furnishings included,’’ the resident said. ‘‘All that’s left is the piles.’’ The houses on the left side of Turner Pl are undamaged and people were starting to move back in on Wednesday afternoon.
The right side is a different story.
Ruapehu District Council’s emergency management officer Nick Watson said the tornado started in native bush near National Park Village, then went through the village’s northern side.
‘‘One home was completely ripped off its foundations and ended up in the backyard of the neighbours,’’ Watson said.
‘‘Other houses have had roofs ripped off and ceilings damaged.
‘‘It was very narrow and very intense,’’ he said
‘‘Insurance assessors have gone through and builders have started to board up some properties.
‘‘Civil defence crews are cleaning up properties and we’re trying to make everything as safe as possible for people.’’
Of the 14 properties, 12 are uninhabitable, one is habitable but damaged and another is habitable with minor damage.
Two households with a total of three people required accommodation overnight.
The Welfare Centre is still open at the National Park School hall.