Winds rip through resort

Press, 24 June 1985, Page 1

Winds rip through resort

PA Tauranga Winds gusting more than 105 km an hour ripped off roofs and blew down power poles in 15 minutes of destruction at Mount Maunganui on Saturday afternoon. The small holiday resort town was being lashed by rain when the fierce wind struck about 2 p.m. About a dozen homes had part or all of their roofs ripped off, some windows blown in, and power lines fell on the main road as a wooden pole gave way. No-one was hurt during the 15-minute battering, but the town’s volunteer fire brigade was kept busy answering calls to homes and businesses. Power to most of the town was restored by 6 p.m., but power board crews worked throughout the night and yesterday replacing and straightening poles and fixing faults. A spokesman for the Tauranga Electric Power Board said there had been up to 1500 calls from subscribers, with at least 200 faults reported. Faults had been reported throughout the western Bay of Plenty. In Auckland on Saturday one boat sank, another overturned and nine broke their moorings on Waitemata Harbour in winds of up to 50 knots. A Coast Guard spokesman yesterday advised boat owners to check moorings “so that they are secure for the next big blow.” He said many boat owners rarely checked moorings in winter. “Prevention is better than cure,” he said. “They should make regular checks while the weather is good.”