Tornado victim called into work at last minute
On Saturday morning, Janesh Prasad told his wife that he didn’t feel like going into work because of the bad weather.
Hours later, he was dead. Prasad, of Auckland’s Sunnyvale, died on Saturday after he was picked up by a tornado at the south Auckland Freight Hub in Wiri. He worked as a diesel mechanic for forklift business Stellar Machinery and was repairing equipment when he died.
His widow Mala Archana Devi, 35, couldn’t hold back her tears yesterday as she spoke of her husband of 15 years.
On Friday night, Prasad was excited about a work function he’d attend on Saturday evening, and was trying on outfits for the night with his daughter Ashley, Devi said.
‘‘He was joking around that he was getting big and his clothes couldn’t fit him any more. He was making us laugh and modelling around the house,’’ she said. ‘‘That was Janesh, he always wanted to make us laugh. He was such a hardworking man who loved to see his family happy.’’
Prasad wasn’t supposed to go to work on Saturday, Devi said. He had made an appointment with an immigration consultant to prepare their application for residence in New Zealand, but cancelled when he was called into work.
On Saturday morning, he told his wife that he didn’t feel like going into work because of the bad weather. ‘‘I told him, ‘Janesh, this isn’t like Fiji, you can’t give excuses. You have to go to work’. And I told him that I was happy that he was going to work because I would finally be able to clean the house.’’
Devi said on the weekends, Prasad loved spending time with his family and discouraged her from doing any housework so they could watch a movie together, ‘‘or sit down, talking’’.
‘‘I wish I didn’t force him, he’d still be with us – he’d still be trying to make us laugh. I’m struggling right now, it’s really hard for me to take the loss of my husband . . . it’s not easy for me to accept.’’
Prasad was originally from Fiji, from Daku in Labasa. He lived most of his life in Nausori, on Viti Levu. Devi and Prasad met through her uncle, and got married in 2006. They moved to New Zealand five years ago for a better life.
She said she told their children about his death but feels they won’t understand fully until after the funeral tomorrow. ‘‘I know they have questions, but they don’t want to ask me because they don’t want to make me more sad.’’
Devi, who works as a housekeeper at a retirement home in West Auckland, said she didn’t know about their future in New Zealand but was determined to fulfil her husband’s wishes.
‘‘He moved us here so our children can have a better future. That was so important to him, and he worked hard every day to achieve this.’’
Family friend Vishal Kumar said Prasad came from humble beginnings and had worked hard to build a life for his family while sending money back to Fiji. ‘‘His background is very poor, but he’s
the only one in his family who is working really hard.’’
A Givealittle page has been set up to help the family.
Clean-up continues
Meanwhile, a major clean-up operation continued in Papatoetoe yesterday with many families still unsure when they will be able to return home, as about 60 houses are uninhabitable.
While most houses in the area have had power restored, crews are still working to restore power to the final properties on Puhinui Rd and Freyberg Ave, a Vector spokeswoman said. No specific timeline could be promised as Vector was ‘‘co-ordinating with other services’’ so the ‘‘timing relies on a number of parties’’.
Tree contractors say they have been working around the clock, and as quickly as they can, to clear debris and fallen trees.
A contractor, who didn’t want to be named, said the situation was unlike anything they had seen before. ‘‘We just want to clear these all up, so people can go back into their homes, we know that’s what they all want.’’
Auckland Emergency Management response teams are also assisting the community, with building inspection teams visiting affected homes and waste collectors and street clean contractors on site.