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Tornado tears through Taranaki suburb, damages two buildings

Author
NZ Herald,
Publish Date
Fri, 12 Jul 2019, 3:44PM
A tornado ripped roofing iron from a building in Taranaki this afternoon. Photo / Facebook
A tornado ripped roofing iron from a building in Taranaki this afternoon. Photo / Facebook

Tornado tears through Taranaki suburb, damages two buildings

Author
NZ Herald,
Publish Date
Fri, 12 Jul 2019, 3:44PM

Two buildings have been damaged by a tornado which ripped through New Plymouth this afternoon.

Firefighters received reports of a tornado north-east of New Plymouth on Oropuriri Rd about 2pm.

A fire service spokesman said they received a call from one business who said a tornado had gone through it and a neighbouring building about 40 minutes earlier.

"It was very minor damage to the buildings," the fire spokesman said.

Roofing iron had been ripped off a building's roof and dumped in a carpark.

Assistance from the fire brigade was not needed and no other properties appeared to have been affected, he said.

A witness said part of the roof of Metro Fires had been ripped off with roofing scattered over nearby cars.

One man posted video and photos of the damage showing the mangled wing mirror on his ute.

A resident also posted online saying the tornado had moved the trampoline, left a hole in the wall and damaged trees.

Kidszone Preschool and Nursery, situated on the nearby Parakau Rd, posted to its Facebook page shortly after the tornado hit letting parents know children were safe.

"All children, staff, and the buildings are all safe. We followed our lockdown policy and the children will be kept indoors for the rest of the afternoon. There is some damage of buildings on that road, please be wary when coming to collect your children."

More to come.

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