Post by Bishopdale Weather on Dec 6, 2012 15:49:05 GMT 12
DEATHS CONFIRMED AFTER STORM
The death toll from the storm that's hit West Auckland this afternoon has risen to three.
Police have confirmed to APNZ that three people are dead.
The deaths occurred when concrete slabs fell on workers at a building site.
Fire, police and ambulance are racing to multiple callouts in Hobsonville and Upper Harbour.
Personnel at the nearby military base have been called to assist.
The wind, accompanied by heavy rain, tore down trees and ripped wooden panels from beside the motorway.
STORM "EXPLODING INTO LIFE"
WeatherWatch analyst Philip Duncan says this front is exploding into life.
He says another band of thunderstorms and torrential downpours is moving back into West Auckland - just 90 minutes after the first set.
"These thunderstorms and these fronts, they kind of breathe, they have a life of their own, and you see them when you watch them on the radar you can see them growing and looking more and more intense."
Philip Duncan is advising people to stay indoors until the torrential rain has passed.
Callers say the tornado had brought down lights on the motorway and there were "dozens and dozens"of trees on the side of the road.
The tornado hit the Upper Harbour Motorway near Whenuapai.
MetService has issued severe thunder warnings and possibly small tornadoes for the Waikato, accompanied by heavy rain and hail.
MetService has also stated there's a likelihood of severe gusts up to 110 kilometres per hour.
EMERGENCY SERVICES RESPOND
A team of USAR staff are helping on the Hobsonville Point building site where concrete slabs have collapsed killing three people.
A Fire Service spokeswoman says they happened to be conducting a building site two streets away and immediately offered their assistance.
Civil Defence is now controlling events surrounding the tornado that struck west Auckland Auckland this afternoon.
Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain says the authorities are at the scene.
Mr Tremain says they've set up a hub and emergency services are responding to the situation.
MetService is warning there could be more tornados in the next few hours.
The Fire Service in Auckland is scrambling to deal with calls after what appears to be a tornado ripped through the area around Herald Island.
North Shore Hospital has cleared its emergency department, in preparation for an influx of injured patients.
A DHB spokeswoman says St John has confirmed two are already on their way from Hobsonville Point.
The extent of their injuries are not yet known.
WIDESPREAD DAMAGE
NZTA says State Highway 18 is closed.
There's debris on the road, and surface flooding.
It's closed between the Brigham Creek onramp and Greenhithe Road.
NZTA is advising all drivers in Auckland to do so carefully, and with their headlights on.
Powerlines are down and roofs are reportedly off.
In Hobsonville, the wind has smashed windows in houses at the near the Air Force base.
There's also surface flooding on New North Road, in Mount Roskill.
People driving on the northwestern motorway at Hobsonville say it was frightening.
They're describing it as being like a tornado - saying they feared for their lives when a blast of wind tore off huge wooden panels lining the motorway and crumpled a light tower - all while it was pouring with rain.
One caller to our newsroom says the windows were blown out of the house where her daughter is, in Hobsonville.
She says the television was also smashed.
Meanwhile, another Newstalk ZB caller, Barney, has described it as scary weather.
"I've just got off at Point Chevalier just for fear of my life pretty much.
"Surface water is terrible, visibility is awful and nobody's putting their lights on."
A man caught on the water in the bad weather been rescued by passersby on Tamaki Drive.
Newstalk ZB caller Susan says the heavens just opened.
"It was like a catamaran-type boat, but the waves just got really rough and he was being pulled into the shore quite quickly so we were able to grab a rope and pull it in."
nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/15567061/three-confirmed-dead-after-akl-tornado/
The death toll from the storm that's hit West Auckland this afternoon has risen to three.
Police have confirmed to APNZ that three people are dead.
The deaths occurred when concrete slabs fell on workers at a building site.
Fire, police and ambulance are racing to multiple callouts in Hobsonville and Upper Harbour.
Personnel at the nearby military base have been called to assist.
The wind, accompanied by heavy rain, tore down trees and ripped wooden panels from beside the motorway.
STORM "EXPLODING INTO LIFE"
WeatherWatch analyst Philip Duncan says this front is exploding into life.
He says another band of thunderstorms and torrential downpours is moving back into West Auckland - just 90 minutes after the first set.
"These thunderstorms and these fronts, they kind of breathe, they have a life of their own, and you see them when you watch them on the radar you can see them growing and looking more and more intense."
Philip Duncan is advising people to stay indoors until the torrential rain has passed.
Callers say the tornado had brought down lights on the motorway and there were "dozens and dozens"of trees on the side of the road.
The tornado hit the Upper Harbour Motorway near Whenuapai.
MetService has issued severe thunder warnings and possibly small tornadoes for the Waikato, accompanied by heavy rain and hail.
MetService has also stated there's a likelihood of severe gusts up to 110 kilometres per hour.
EMERGENCY SERVICES RESPOND
A team of USAR staff are helping on the Hobsonville Point building site where concrete slabs have collapsed killing three people.
A Fire Service spokeswoman says they happened to be conducting a building site two streets away and immediately offered their assistance.
Civil Defence is now controlling events surrounding the tornado that struck west Auckland Auckland this afternoon.
Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain says the authorities are at the scene.
Mr Tremain says they've set up a hub and emergency services are responding to the situation.
MetService is warning there could be more tornados in the next few hours.
The Fire Service in Auckland is scrambling to deal with calls after what appears to be a tornado ripped through the area around Herald Island.
North Shore Hospital has cleared its emergency department, in preparation for an influx of injured patients.
A DHB spokeswoman says St John has confirmed two are already on their way from Hobsonville Point.
The extent of their injuries are not yet known.
WIDESPREAD DAMAGE
NZTA says State Highway 18 is closed.
There's debris on the road, and surface flooding.
It's closed between the Brigham Creek onramp and Greenhithe Road.
NZTA is advising all drivers in Auckland to do so carefully, and with their headlights on.
Powerlines are down and roofs are reportedly off.
In Hobsonville, the wind has smashed windows in houses at the near the Air Force base.
There's also surface flooding on New North Road, in Mount Roskill.
People driving on the northwestern motorway at Hobsonville say it was frightening.
They're describing it as being like a tornado - saying they feared for their lives when a blast of wind tore off huge wooden panels lining the motorway and crumpled a light tower - all while it was pouring with rain.
One caller to our newsroom says the windows were blown out of the house where her daughter is, in Hobsonville.
She says the television was also smashed.
Meanwhile, another Newstalk ZB caller, Barney, has described it as scary weather.
"I've just got off at Point Chevalier just for fear of my life pretty much.
"Surface water is terrible, visibility is awful and nobody's putting their lights on."
A man caught on the water in the bad weather been rescued by passersby on Tamaki Drive.
Newstalk ZB caller Susan says the heavens just opened.
"It was like a catamaran-type boat, but the waves just got really rough and he was being pulled into the shore quite quickly so we were able to grab a rope and pull it in."
nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/15567061/three-confirmed-dead-after-akl-tornado/