Tornado damages 5 buildings and 17 vehicles in Greymouth, New Zealand

A tornado hit Greymouth, a town on New Zealand’s South Island, on March 20, 2023, causing significant damage to five buildings and more than 17 cars. The tornado caused roof debris to fly through the air, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

The fire service received the first call of the tornado’s damage just after 23:00 LT on March 20, when a roof was torn from a house on the corner of Turumaha St and Elmer Lane. The roof landed on a power pole, which was brought down, and parts of it traveled across the road, smashing several vans at the back of Greenfield Motors, leaving a trail of splintered wood and twisted iron.

The tornado continued on and stripped the roof off the former school dental clinic at the old junior high, causing a brick wall to collapse and sending charred debris across the forecourt of Greenfield Motors, smashing windows and damaging 17 vehicles. The gusts then continued across Tainui St to the Greymouth RSA, where the roof was peeled back like a sardine tin, leaving roofing material and wood scattered across the bowling green behind. Honda Farm, Trail, and Road also suffered damage to windows and a parked vehicle. The tornado had burned itself out by Alexander St.

Greenfield Motors’ owner, Ross Brown, expressed his frustration, blaming the derelict dental clinic for the damage caused to his property. He suggested that if the building had been cleaned up, his yard would not have had so many wrecked cars. He lamented the fact that he was out cleaning up the mess, and he was out of work for the day.

The Greymouth Volunteer Fire Brigade spent about an hour making the area safe, and police, power authorities, and roading authorities were also present to clean up the road.

Contractors from ElectroNet reported that a concrete power pole in Elmer Lane had been snapped, and the clean-up was in progress at the RSA, where water was dripping from damaged ceiling tiles.

References:

¹ Tornado damages five buildings, spreads debris – Otago Daily News – March 22, 2023

Featured image credit: Newshub (stillshot)

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