A tornado destroyed the roof and uprooted a large palm tree at this property on Attymon Lane, East Tāmaki, Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen
Aucklanders in East Tāmaki are cleaning up after a tornado damaged about 51 properties on Sunday night.
Warnings and watches had been in place for heavy rain and strong winds for several parts of the country as a large and complex trough continues to bring unsettled weather, including another tornado for the upper South Island on Monday.
Extreme winds powered through Golflands to East Tāmaki, including Tamaki Heights, Flatbush and Huntington Park about 9pm on Sunday.
Auckland Emergency Management group controller Mace Ward said much of the damage was concentrated in a narrow strip, running from the Pakuranga Golf Club, southeast to Barry Curtis Park in Flat Bush.
"There are two main areas of damage - a pocket in Golflands and a longer swath from the Greenmount Park area to Barry Curtis Park."
Ward urged people to keep up to date with the weather forecast as more unsettled weather was forecast for Auckland.
Need to keep an eye on the ⚡️thunderstorm ⚡️ threat tomorrow (Tuesday).
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) April 10, 2023
Some could be quite intense. pic.twitter.com/OOzqbUaspX
Building inspection teams had been visiting the area on Monday and residents were advised to take photos of damage for insurance claims.
A tree dangles over Te Irirangi Road in Auckland's East Tāmaki following a tornado. Photo: RNZ / Felix Walton
About 60-70 assessments were complete, with the majority of properties given a white placard, about 10 were yellow stickered, and none red stickered.
Fire and Emergency incident controller David McKeown said fire crews responded to about 50 requests for assistance and deployed special vehicles with salvage equipment to the area.
Some properties lost tiles from roofs, and windows were damaged by falling trees.
No-one had been reported as injured, McKeown said.
Auckland Emergency Management said emergency crews responded quickly to help East Tāmaki residents with property damage.
The organisation warned that weather conditions on Monday could cause more tornadoes although it said it was hard to pick where a tornado might occur.
Properties are damaged and trees are down following a tornado that ripped through Auckland's East Tāmaki on 9 April. Photo: RNZ / Felix Walton
The best way to prepare was by sheltering in downstairs areas, under something sturdy and covered with a blanket or mattress, it said.
If a tornado does occur, anyone who is outside should lay flat in a gully or low spot and protect their head with an object or their arms, while motorists and their passengers are advised to pull over and seek shelter in a low spot that is not under or near the car.
A Civil Defence centre in the Howick Leisure Centre that was set up on Sunday night closed at 5pm on Monday.
Erne Crescent, East Tamaki, pictured in the wake of Easter Sunday's tornado. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen
Two siblings were out in East Tāmaki on Monday, helping their grandfather clean up.
"I'm just here helping my poppa fix his fence and a bit of other damage he has had on his house. He gave me a ring about 9.30 saying he needs a hand tomorrow, a tornado has ripped through.
"His fence is down and some other stuff. It could've been a lot worse, seems like it's been worse in other places."
A local resident said the tornado was "frightening".
"It's just a few seconds, not shaking, but the wind, I've never experienced before.
"My cats were jumping around, they got freaked out."
No-one has been reported injured following the tornado. Photo: RNZ / Felix Walton
National Party leader Christopher Luxon was out on the streets of his electorate to look at the damage from Sunday night's tornado.
The Botany MP said many people he had spoken to felt they had had a lucky escape.
"Talking to everybody here, what everybody's amazed at and is very grateful for is that no one was killed or injured, when you've got flying concrete tiles moving around at pace that's a real risk, and it's fantastic that that has been the case."
Luxon said he had heard great stories of neighbours helping each other out to repair the damage.
