Weather chaos in Auckland

This sort of weather chaos is something new for New Zealand. Welcome to the future.

Three dead, homes destroyed after tornado hits Auckland

Three people have died after a tornado struck north-west of Auckland this afternoon.

TVNZ,

6 December, 2012

Seven people have also been taken to North Shore and Auckland hospitals, although none are thought to be seriously injured.

Civil Defence said the casualties occurred at the construction site for a new school at Hobsonville Point.

The agency also said about 150 homes "have been displaced at Whenuapai" and many have been deemed uninhabitable or are without power.

About 250 residents have been taken to Whenuapai Air Force Base and Auckland Council welfare staff have gone there to assist.

North Shore Hospital was initially cleared to deal with injuries but officials later said they were not expecting large numbers of casualties.

Electricity is off in numerous parts of Auckland including Henderson, Greenhithe, Hobsonville, Riverhead, Meadowbank and St Johns.

Auckland Council building inspectors are attending the worst affected areas.

The NZ Transport Agency says it has re-opened State Highway 18 (the Hobsonville Motorway) after it was closed when a series of tornados swept through north-west Auckland this afternoon.

The motorway was re-opened just after 4pm It was closed in both directions just after 1.30pm.

Storms brought down light poles, disabled motorway cameras and left sections of the motorway littered with debris.

SH18 has reopened after being closed for several hours while contractors inspected the motorway for damage and cleared debris.

But acting State Highways manager for Auckland and Northland, Steve Mutton, said the Squadron Drive on and off ramps remain closed until further notice.

Mutton says the closure, together with the storms, has caused widespread congestion across the Auckland motorway network.

"We're doing everything we can to get traffic running smoothly and safely, but journeys home tonight for some could be longer than usual."

Prime Minister John Key has extended his condolences to the friends and families of the people who died. 
 

"This must have been an extremely frightening situation for many people in the local community," Key said. 
 

"This extreme weather event occurred in the heart of my electorate as well as Paula Bennett's electorate. I have been kept informed of the situation throughout the afternoon and am continuing to receive updates," Key said.

The severe weather caused disruption to air travel, particularly to some regional New Zealand destinations.

Flights were cancelled to and from Whangarei and New Plymouth, and a number of other flights were delayed as "severe weather protocols" slowed down operations.

The Fire Service was inundated with calls and said there appears to be "significant building damage" sustained from the storm.

There have been reports of windows blown out of houses, tiles flying off roof tops, and trees lying on roads.

Power has been cut from shops at the Westfield West City mall. The car park is closed due to flooding.

onenews.co.nz's Renee Girven was in the area at the time and said the event lasted a couple of minutes, blowing in glass at properties, taking tiles off roofs, and uprooting trees.

Another resident in the area said it was the "scariest thing she's ever been through".

A roof has collapsed on several properties, and damage to motorway panels have also been reported.

On the ONE News Facebook page, Jordan Healey said that his aunt's house had been destroyed by the tornado. "My aunts house is gone, roof, windows, only one room was untouched," he said.

One woman, Ellen Strickland, tweeted: "It has been an absolute symphony of sirens coming through Pt Chev/NW motorway".

Around 100 Hawkins Construction employees are also said to be stuck due to the tornado.

While a spokesperson for the West Wave swimming complex in Henderson reports that several panels have been damaged following the storm, and water is flooding into the building.

There have also been reports of flash flooding and thunder storms in south Auckland.