Gusts of wind knock down trees, raise roofs and cut power in Taranaki

Strong winds in New Plymouth downed trees on roads, hurled trampolines through the air and ripped iron from building roofs Tuesday.

The gusts from the south also cut off electricity supplies to many cities in Taranaki, but service was expected to be restored in the late afternoon, according to the Powerco website.

Traffic stopped on the roads around New Plymouth when trees smashed into the lanes.

Firefighters were kept busy attending multiple calls across the city, including uprooted trees, securing loose iron roofs, and helping with trampolines and outdoor furniture that had been blown up through the air.

READ MORE:
* Taranaki under strong wind warning for Tuesday
* New Zealand must start taking extreme heat seriously
* River contamination with E. coli as a result of runoff from the farm after heavy rains

New Plymouth district councilman and journalist Gordon Brown was conducting an interview at a business on Connett Rd, Bell Block, around 10:20 a.m. M. When hurricane force winds tore the roof off a nearby building.

“There was an almighty noise, so I turned around and the ceiling was peeling off like a can of sardines,” Brown said.

“It was quite spectacular. I had never seen anything like it “.

Senior Station Officer Jason Crowe of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade said the first calls came in around 9 a.m. and continued throughout the day.

“It has been a busy day,” Crowe said.

The heavy workload required an additional off-duty crew to be called in and the assistance of the New Plymouth West volunteer brigade.

By 2:45 p.m. there had been 22 calls, Crowe said.

“It has been a mix of everything from loose iron for roofing on commercial and residential properties, to downed trees and flying trampolines, as well as having to deal with our regular jobs such as alarm activations, medical incidents and motor vehicle accidents.”

Crowe said a car had suffered major damage when a tree fell on it in Brooklands.

Firefighters also had to secure the gym roof at Spotswood College and the flashing at another school building.

There was also an afternoon call to The Warehouse on Courtney St in New Plymouth, where a large piece of roof flashing had come loose.

With the high winds forecast to continue, Crowe advised homeowners to review their sections and secure any loose items like outdoor furniture and trampolines to prevent them from becoming flying projectiles.

At 7.15pm, Senior Station Officer Nick Hackling said they had attended a job on Cook St helping remove a wind-damaged solar hot water system from the roof, as well as a couple of neighbors in Hine. St with soaring ceilings.

Police were first called to State Highway 3, Welbourn, on the outskirts of the city, around 6:50 a.m. after a downed tree partially blocked the southbound lane.

Traffic out of New Plymouth was redirected past Highlands Intermediate and onto Junction St, while northbound traffic flowed at a reduced speed of 30 kilometers per hour.

Contractors worked with an excavator and a wood chipper to clear the debris.

Officers were also alerted to a tree blocking the westbound lane at the intersection of Frankley Rd and Waimea St, Frankleigh Park, around 7.45 a.m.

Another tree fell at the intersection of SH3 and Smart Road, Waiwhakaiho, around 11.30am, causing traffic to back up as contractors worked to clear it.

Around noon, the two northbound lanes of State Highway 3, Burgess Park, were blocked by another falling tree and police had to direct traffic at the scene while it was clear.

The winds also caused the area around New Plymouth’s clock tower to close for public safety as gusts had shaken one of the window fittings, a New Plymouth District Council media spokesperson said.

At night, Hackling said they were called in to help with the glass on the clock tower, but they had to be careful with their staff using ladders in high winds.

Power was cut at 30 properties in Rāhotu around 4.40am, but had been restored by mid-afternoon, while 374 properties in Warea were also without power after power was cut at 11.54am, but it was expected that will reestablish at 4.54 pm

At 7 p.m. in New Plymouth, 1,792 properties were left without power in Westown with a dispersal of other outages in the district.

Earlier in the day, 217 properties in Okato were without power, but were later restored.

Metservice issued a severe weather advisory for Taranaki on Monday forecasting gales from the south between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Gusts were expected to reach 120 km / h in exposed locations, with the strongest winds expected north of Taranaki Maunga.