Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, has been hit by a tornado, two months after the wider region was devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle, and three months after the city was struck by deadly flooding.
Auckland Emergency Management said it began receiving reports of “localized havoc” around 9pm on Sunday, the NZ Herald reported.
Authorities received more than 30 calls, with roofs lifted off homes and trees toppled.
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“It’s a scary scene here in the neighborhood,” East Tmaki resident Manpreet Braar told the paper.
“People are heartbroken seeing the condition of their houses and roofs. You can sense the fear factor upon having a look at the damage,” Braar said.
Another resident told Stuff news Web site that the tornado had smashed his dining room window and sent glass shards flying across the room “like bullets.”
Priyank Aro said his family “feared for our life,” and fled outside to find that the “scene was really bad,” with trees and fences knocked down.
No injuries were reported, and firefighters helped residents put tarpaulins over their roofs overnight.
Most of the damage reports were from homes about 11 streets from Golflands to East Tmaki suburbs, Fire and Emergency New Zealand incident controller David McKeown said.
New Zealand was also hit by more than 14,000 lighting strikes in the 12 hours to 6am yesterday, the Meteorological Service of New Zealand said.
More heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for the South Island, it said.
Police in the South Island city of Nelson said another tornado struck the Upper Moutere area yesterday, with 12 houses either losing roofs or having them lifted, while residents in the surrounding area reported power outages.
Four people were killed in January when Auckland, a city of 1.6 million people on New Zealand’s North Island, was hit by what insurers said was the “biggest climate event” in the country’s history.
Flood waters swept through streets and down highways, causing landslides and sink holes, and temporarily shuttering Auckland Airport.
That disaster was followed weeks later by Cyclone Gabrielle, which killed 11 people and left thousands displaced, as flood waters and landslides destroyed homes.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called a national state of emergency and said it was “the most significant weather event New Zealand has seen in this century.”
Episodes of heavy rainfall are becoming more common and more intense in New Zealand due to climate change, but the impact varies by region.
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