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Greymouth tornado, March 2005 *PHOTO ALBUM*
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DescriptionOn the tenth of March 2005 Mother Nature came calling to remind me that I was a lucky sod. I live in Greymouth!
You might think that is a strange thing to think given the nature of that day and the horrific warzone she left in her wake but if you were me you would feel the same, I’m sure.
Just another early afternoon, two customers in the video shop and I was readying the late list calls when the power cut out. Damn. I leisurely marked the time in the diary and turned to watch the couple who were still meandering along the row of DVDs as they sought their evening’s entertainment.
Looking over their heads out the window I saw my own movie unfold as a wall of dust and debris approached. Wow. I thought it was paper blowing in the wind but now know it was corrugated iron roofs twisting and undulating like they were rice paper.
By the time it finally occurred to me that I was watching a tornado the busses over the road in their compound were starting to tip.
“Get down, get away from the windows!” I remember shouting that. I also remember that I was grateful that the couple had their heads screwed on as the husband tackled his wife to the ground before the windows imploded.
This is when I hunkered down behind the counter and closed my eyes, covered my head with my arms and waited for Armageddon. The sound of the freight train/washing machine on spin cycle/monster eating my workplace was intense and then … gone.
I looked up. At blue sky. Huh. No roof.
I looked over at the windows. Huh. No windows.
I looked over at the shelves. Yep you guessed it. No shelves.
The monster had picked up the shelves that usually took three people to move and thrown them against the back wall with a vicious temper while shouting the odds but had somehow managed to miss the couple who stood in the wreckage as dazed as me.
Wow.
People began to pour into the store through the holes where windows used to be and I was again reminded that I live in the best place in the world.
My laptop that has sat quietly at my feet had been speared by a shard of glass that, had I not for the first time taken it to work, would have speared me. It even still booted up! Lucky huh?
My fear at learning it came through Blaketown first speared my gut as I thought of my home and pets. I hastily rang Grey Main to check my little brothers were OK before calling my father to get him to pick up the kids as they were sending them home. My house was one street over from the street hit. Lucky huh?
It was later as I stood in the dusk outside the ruins of the foundry with Tony Kokshoorn on a conference call with media that I felt the full elation of the day. No one lost. Not a single death, though the bill was a biggie. Monster clean-up is expensive stuff.
No, my elation was at being alive. At being there. The reporter told me that I was very upbeat given my day and I responded that it was because I’m a West Coaster. I believed I laughed.
We pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and then turn to our fellow man to offer help. We’re West Coasters.
Our Mayor had survived the monster as well. It had attacked his car and was unable to breach its metal shell. He was one of the early visitors to my clean up with offers to help.
“Feed these people for me Tony” I said and KFC and McDonalds did great feeding the many people filing in and out from tradies shoring up the building to the firemen who I still think spent too long in the “blue” room.
Now my sister has experienced Mother Nature’s wrath as her home was attacked last year. Who came to help? Mayor Tony Kokshoorn. Clambering about on her roof to secure tarps before the rain like a spider monkey half his age.
As Marcia and her family wait in rented accommodation for her house repairs to be completed, safe and unharmed that day, I again come back to the simple fact that I am one lucky sod!
I live in Greymouth.
Jo Awatere-Jones
West CoasterPhotographerGreymouth StarDate of Photo2005Map[1] External LinkAlexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.
You might think that is a strange thing to think given the nature of that day and the horrific warzone she left in her wake but if you were me you would feel the same, I’m sure.
Just another early afternoon, two customers in the video shop and I was readying the late list calls when the power cut out. Damn. I leisurely marked the time in the diary and turned to watch the couple who were still meandering along the row of DVDs as they sought their evening’s entertainment.
Looking over their heads out the window I saw my own movie unfold as a wall of dust and debris approached. Wow. I thought it was paper blowing in the wind but now know it was corrugated iron roofs twisting and undulating like they were rice paper.
By the time it finally occurred to me that I was watching a tornado the busses over the road in their compound were starting to tip.
“Get down, get away from the windows!” I remember shouting that. I also remember that I was grateful that the couple had their heads screwed on as the husband tackled his wife to the ground before the windows imploded.
This is when I hunkered down behind the counter and closed my eyes, covered my head with my arms and waited for Armageddon. The sound of the freight train/washing machine on spin cycle/monster eating my workplace was intense and then … gone.
I looked up. At blue sky. Huh. No roof.
I looked over at the windows. Huh. No windows.
I looked over at the shelves. Yep you guessed it. No shelves.
The monster had picked up the shelves that usually took three people to move and thrown them against the back wall with a vicious temper while shouting the odds but had somehow managed to miss the couple who stood in the wreckage as dazed as me.
Wow.
People began to pour into the store through the holes where windows used to be and I was again reminded that I live in the best place in the world.
My laptop that has sat quietly at my feet had been speared by a shard of glass that, had I not for the first time taken it to work, would have speared me. It even still booted up! Lucky huh?
My fear at learning it came through Blaketown first speared my gut as I thought of my home and pets. I hastily rang Grey Main to check my little brothers were OK before calling my father to get him to pick up the kids as they were sending them home. My house was one street over from the street hit. Lucky huh?
It was later as I stood in the dusk outside the ruins of the foundry with Tony Kokshoorn on a conference call with media that I felt the full elation of the day. No one lost. Not a single death, though the bill was a biggie. Monster clean-up is expensive stuff.
No, my elation was at being alive. At being there. The reporter told me that I was very upbeat given my day and I responded that it was because I’m a West Coaster. I believed I laughed.
We pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and then turn to our fellow man to offer help. We’re West Coasters.
Our Mayor had survived the monster as well. It had attacked his car and was unable to breach its metal shell. He was one of the early visitors to my clean up with offers to help.
“Feed these people for me Tony” I said and KFC and McDonalds did great feeding the many people filing in and out from tradies shoring up the building to the firemen who I still think spent too long in the “blue” room.
Now my sister has experienced Mother Nature’s wrath as her home was attacked last year. Who came to help? Mayor Tony Kokshoorn. Clambering about on her roof to secure tarps before the rain like a spider monkey half his age.
As Marcia and her family wait in rented accommodation for her house repairs to be completed, safe and unharmed that day, I again come back to the simple fact that I am one lucky sod!
I live in Greymouth.
Jo Awatere-Jones
West CoasterPhotographerGreymouth StarDate of Photo2005Map[1] External LinkAlexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)GreymouthLandmark (Place)Boundary StreetDispatch and GarlickOrganisation (eg business)Video EzyEventTornado
Category Information
Category TagDisaster
From Facebook
CommentsMaree Lawlor
That was an incredible day the tornado just travelled behind our building we had a lucky escape The power of the tornado is shown in this tyre with a piece of timber through it Amazing scary
Rita Koenig
Superbly written. Love how he writes: we're Westcoasters... yep, I'm now too, and so is hubby, son and grandkids.
Jillene Magee
Rita Koenig Jo is a very lovely Westcoast woman with a great personality.
Viv Hitchcock
Is that the year a tornado went through the engineering business .. Garlicks?
Jill Kramer
Viv Hitchcock that was it.
Lyn Tyson
Beautifully written. Love the West Coast spirit!
Anne Milligan
A day many of us will never forget.
Brent Campbell
I got a good look at that tornado .I was in a forklift parked outside PB Davy auto electrical when it blew over .managed to hold on inside the cab lol
Nikki Eagle
Tamara Kemp good times
Di Chiles
This happened ony 25th birthday.
Jude Wastney
Absolutely love it 100% As someone that lives Christchurch, but was brought up in the Buller, the Coast will always have my heart and it will always be my home.
Thank you for an incredible story ]
Mary Prendergast
Wonderful story Jo. You are a good writer.
Phyllis Aberhart
I can still remember it very clearly. I was visiting a friend in the little dead end street behind BP. When I left there I couldn't believe what damage I saw I thought it was caused by the strong winds until I was told it was a tornado.
Jillene Magee
Phyllis Aberhart that would be O'Donnell Street.
Phyllis Aberhart
Jillene Magee thanks that's it, I'd temporarily forgotten it
James Newby
I came across the booklet about it in a Op shop here in Gisborne.
Kay Nichols
Are you a member of disaster prep NZ on Facebook? They need people like you!
Geoff More
While inspecting the damage on the roof after neighbors balcony landed on it, the insurance guy says " you won't be getting a new roof etc etc and it doesn't look like you have worked a day in your life". Well l got my roof and he left the district to be miserable somewhere else.
Jeffrey Peacock
was this the first tornado or the second one i cant remeber yrs to good
Christine Hebberd
Still remember that day. Hi jo. Your writing of this day is wonderful. Great Story writer. Please write a book
Linsey Bennington
Gavin Davy we copped our fare share of that.
Grahame Kelly
What a great and inspiring story Jo. That's why the call it the Best Coast!
Matthew Ruscoe
I was with you Samuel Mort out front of your wrecking yard.
Helen Ruscoe
Matthew Ruscoe I was wondering if this was the one
Samuel Mort
Matthew Ruscoe yeah that was narly lol good times
Matthew Ruscoe
Samuel Mort yip we had a lot of adventures in a small space of time. It was awesome!!
Caroline Pitt
ShelleyandTony Gibson remember when I yelled at you to get into the filing room ]
ShelleyandTony Gibson
Caroline Pitt he still talks about hiding in the cupboard with you girls
Caroline Pitt
ShelleyandTony Gibson best day of his life
ShelleyandTony Gibson
Caroline Pitt he hasn’t been the same since
Cathy Howat
I left the Coast at age 2 in 1957 when we moved to Picton. I'm an Australian in Melbourne now , but still a Coaster
Marilyn Ramsay
Was working at Westland laundry when it hits
That was an incredible day the tornado just travelled behind our building we had a lucky escape The power of the tornado is shown in this tyre with a piece of timber through it Amazing scary
Rita Koenig
Superbly written. Love how he writes: we're Westcoasters... yep, I'm now too, and so is hubby, son and grandkids.
Jillene Magee
Rita Koenig Jo is a very lovely Westcoast woman with a great personality.
Viv Hitchcock
Is that the year a tornado went through the engineering business .. Garlicks?
Jill Kramer
Viv Hitchcock that was it.
Lyn Tyson
Beautifully written. Love the West Coast spirit!
Anne Milligan
A day many of us will never forget.
Brent Campbell
I got a good look at that tornado .I was in a forklift parked outside PB Davy auto electrical when it blew over .managed to hold on inside the cab lol
Nikki Eagle
Tamara Kemp good times
Di Chiles
This happened ony 25th birthday.
Jude Wastney
Absolutely love it 100% As someone that lives Christchurch, but was brought up in the Buller, the Coast will always have my heart and it will always be my home.
Thank you for an incredible story ]
Mary Prendergast
Wonderful story Jo. You are a good writer.
Phyllis Aberhart
I can still remember it very clearly. I was visiting a friend in the little dead end street behind BP. When I left there I couldn't believe what damage I saw I thought it was caused by the strong winds until I was told it was a tornado.
Jillene Magee
Phyllis Aberhart that would be O'Donnell Street.
Phyllis Aberhart
Jillene Magee thanks that's it, I'd temporarily forgotten it
James Newby
I came across the booklet about it in a Op shop here in Gisborne.
Kay Nichols
Are you a member of disaster prep NZ on Facebook? They need people like you!
Geoff More
While inspecting the damage on the roof after neighbors balcony landed on it, the insurance guy says " you won't be getting a new roof etc etc and it doesn't look like you have worked a day in your life". Well l got my roof and he left the district to be miserable somewhere else.
Jeffrey Peacock
was this the first tornado or the second one i cant remeber yrs to good
Christine Hebberd
Still remember that day. Hi jo. Your writing of this day is wonderful. Great Story writer. Please write a book
Linsey Bennington
Gavin Davy we copped our fare share of that.
Grahame Kelly
What a great and inspiring story Jo. That's why the call it the Best Coast!
Matthew Ruscoe
I was with you Samuel Mort out front of your wrecking yard.
Helen Ruscoe
Matthew Ruscoe I was wondering if this was the one
Samuel Mort
Matthew Ruscoe yeah that was narly lol good times
Matthew Ruscoe
Samuel Mort yip we had a lot of adventures in a small space of time. It was awesome!!
Caroline Pitt
ShelleyandTony Gibson remember when I yelled at you to get into the filing room ]
ShelleyandTony Gibson
Caroline Pitt he still talks about hiding in the cupboard with you girls
Caroline Pitt
ShelleyandTony Gibson best day of his life
ShelleyandTony Gibson
Caroline Pitt he hasn’t been the same since
Cathy Howat
I left the Coast at age 2 in 1957 when we moved to Picton. I'm an Australian in Melbourne now , but still a Coaster
Marilyn Ramsay
Was working at Westland laundry when it hits
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West Coast New Zealand History (28th Jul 2022). Greymouth tornado, March 2005 *PHOTO ALBUM*. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 20th Aug 2022 15:09, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/31346