Tornado nz

2022 - 5 - 20

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Image courtesy of "Stuff.co.nz"

Levin tornado: School grounds a sea of broken glass (Stuff.co.nz)

It was "loud, it shook, and I was scared", Laura Sweetman describes what it was like being in the middle of the Levin twister.

“The house violently shook and I came out here [to the lounge] in a panic. Fencing around the school was also damaged, and it would take time to restore those before the school grounds could be secured. “It’s going to take a great amount of effort to ensure all the glass is gone, so I expect our field will be out of bounds for an extended amount of time, before it can be deemed safe for the children.” “I guess it’s a once in a lifetime thing, to say you have been in the path of a tornado, especially in Levin.” A Levin school that narrowly avoided the direct path of a tornado has been showered in glass from broken windows and damage to neighbouring properties. Sisters Rhianna and Laura Sweetman, who lived next to the school, on Weraroa Rd, said the tornado ran a path between their home and a neighbouring property, destroying the garage that was lifted onto the field.

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Image courtesy of "New Zealand Herald"

'So much blood': Tornado carves path of destruction through house (New Zealand Herald)

A shaken mother of three has recalled the horror of when the tornado which carved a path of destruction through Levin careered into her house - in the ...

I was begging for the sun to come up." As the sun rose, the extent of the damage to the rest of the house became apparent including a large portion of guttering being removed and most of the outdoor furniture being destroyed. Massive shards of glass landed beside the pair as she pulled her daughter out of the room in a hurry, and gathered the rest of her daughters. Having only the light of a phone, she huddled on the lower level of their home with her three crying and distraught young daughters as she tried to assess the eldest's injuries. She said she went to check on her oldest and youngest daughters who were in the elder girl's bedroom getting ready after the shaking began when she saw the large piece of wood spinning in circles in the air outside the bedroom. Jen Geraghty told the Herald a large piece of wood flew at her 10-year old's bedroom window on the second storey of their house as she got ready for school, showering her in glass that cut her back and legs.

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