Whirlwind Strikes Kaitaia; Several Houses Unroofed

Northern Advocate, 1 August 1938, Page 6

Whirlwind Strikes Kaitaia; Several Houses Unroofed

SWEEPING IN FROM THE NORTH-EAST, A WHIRLWIND CUT ACROSS k ONE CORNER OF KAITAIA AT ABOUT 9.30 ON SATURDAY EVENING, IT WAS A HIT-AND-RUN RAID THAT WAS OVER ALMOST BEFORE PEOPLE KNEW IT HAD BEGUN.

Like a giant at play, the whirlwind unroofed a house heie. snapped off a tree there, and. in a spasm of unrivalled violence, tore up a stoutly built Avashhouse. turning it over on its side.

The whirlwind first struck the town at about the centre of Lake Road. The first building to suffer was that occupied by Mr E.- E. Ramsey, whigh was partly unroofed. A strange feature was that a detached washhouse, only a few feet from the house, was untouched, while the roofing iron of the house almost directly above it was term oft.

Tarpaulin Saves Day

Damage was confined to the rear of the residence. Although rain fell heavily during the night, it was fortunately fine when the mishap occurred, and Mr Ramsey was able to have a tarpaulin stretched across the damaged roof, thus effectively preventing the interior from being damaged by water.

stored by the evening, and telephones were also working. The effect of the whirlwind was felt in Larmer's Road, where Mr J. Clarice’s cowshed was flattened out. In Church Road, three miles distant from the storm centre, a garage in course of construction will have to bo rebuilt. The total damage is estimated at £6OO.

In an adjoining garden a well-grown macrocarpa tree was tern down close to the ground. The Methodist Parsonage, next door, received little damage, the house itself escaping although a corrugated iron garage built against the” fence of Mr Rowe’s property, was torn and twisted.

In the street outside, a complete gap was cut in the telephone wires and a post was forced slightly out of alignment.

Roofing Blown Over Stream.

Worst damage in this street, however, was done to the residence of Mr Hector Rowe. Half the roofing iron was torn off and hurled several chains away. Fart of the iron, still attached to rafters, was located on the far side of the stream which runs at the back of the section. Small holes were torn in the plaster beard ceiling and rain water completely ruined wall papers in two of the front rooms. It was a case of all hands on deck when the damage was discovered, and furniture was protected by being shifted to adjoining rooms. The verandah of this house was also extensively damaged. The garden here, too, bore testimony to the force of the onslaught. A karaka tree, about 10 inches through the trunk, was twisted and twirled, breaking off an inch or two below ground level. In the hedge surrounding the section a complete gap, only a couple of yards wide, was made.

Continuing its erratic course, the whirlwind swept towards the Presbyterian Manse, passing between this and a group of gum trees. The Manse escaped with only a broken window.

New Home Wrecked. Redan Road received the full force of the onslaught, which fortunately missed the public hospital. Directly in its course, however, was the unoccupied building recently purchased from Mr A. C. Smeaton by Mr A. Logan, who had not yet moved in. A small bungalow of recent construction. this house was wrecked. The whole roof was lifted, sheets of iron being carried over the hill at the back on to the property of Mr J. Hester. Some were found quarter of a mile away. In a number of places, huge gaps were torn in the plaster-board ceiling. The chimney snapped off at the roof, the wreckage faling into the dining room, snapping a corner of the mantelshelf and crashing through the floor boards.

In the back yard a stoutly constructed washhouse was wrenched and turned over on its side. A concrete slab of flooring was torn from the ground.

At Redan Road the track of the whirlwind was three chains wide. Danger of Falling Chimney. There was a fortunate escape from injury at the home of Mr Roy Kelly, where a chimney was snapped off level with the roof. A young lady was sitting by the fire at the time and, had the. chimney falling inwards, she undoubtedly would have sustained serious injury.

As it was, the section o£ the chimney dislodged fell outwards in one piece. This house is owned by Mrs R. G. Brien.

At the residence of Mr H. A. Bagley, two stout wireless poles of 2i-inch galvanised piping, were twisted out of all recognition.* One was curled into a perfect U. Three fully-grown macrocarpa trees in the adjoining property of Mr Taylor were snapped off. Mr Keith Knight's house lost a number of roofing tiles, but otherwise escaped damage. The residences occupied by Mr Vaughan and Mr John Archibald were just off the track of the whirlwind and. although receiving some of the force, sustained no damage of consequence. Volunteers at Work. Telephonic communication with the affected street was disrupted when a pole was snapped off at the base and hurled to the opposite side of the road. This cut off the service to the Kaitaia Hospital for a time, but a temporary connection was made to do service until the regular lines wore repaired. On Sunday morning a gang of GO carpenters and volunteer workmen were busily making most urgent repairs, and all P. and T. linesmen were called out to restore the telegraphic communications. All roofs were re-