November 26, 2008

Two hours after a huge wind gust blew a sheet of roofing iron within metres of her son at their Hanmer Springs holiday home yesterday, Mandy Heasley was still in shock.
In eerily calm conditions a short time later, she showed the path the corrugated iron took across her Scarborough Terrace property shortly before noon. The roaring nor'wester damaged trees, power and telephone lines and blew roofing around like cardboard.
Son Enzo Welch , 12, was in his room when a gust estimated at more than 130km/h ripped iron from the roof of Scarborough Lodge across the street.
'I was just lying on my bed watching the trees moving around,' he said. 'I didn't see it come off (the roof); I saw it fly over the hedge. I was really worried. There was a big crash.'
The roofing panel, which hit and damaged cars in the street, missed Enzo's bedroom and came to rest wedged beside a hedge and a wrought-iron rose arch.
'I felt really lucky. It's all glass windows around my bedroom. It gave me a fright,' Enzo said.
Heasley said she saw the iron flying across the road. 'I wasn't sure if the kids had gone outside again. I just freaked and thought, 'Where are the kids?' I ran through the house, but they were all inside. We all got a bit of a fright.'
Warnings of blustery north-westerlies gusting up to 140km/h in North Canterbury had been issued by MetService.
Police advised motorists to take care owing to extreme winds on State Highways 7 and 7A in the Hanmer Springs-Culverden area and on State Highway 1 through the Hundalees.
Hanmer Springs escaped extensive damage, but small tree branches littered the main street.
Cooler south-westerlies moved through Canterbury last night. Meanwhile, in Christchurch, the Fire Service was stretched when a Belfast scrub fire coincided with a spate of callouts to several smaller fires.
The scrub fire began about 2.40pm yesterday on grassland 500m from the eastern end of Belfast Road and was fanned by a strong north-westerly.
It quickly spread to a piggery, threatening farm buildings and livestock and causing superficial damage to a cottage.
The Fire Service said no-one had to be evacuated, but some residents moved animals to safer ground. There were no reports of livestock being harmed.
Deputy chief fire officer Dave Berry said the fire was under control by about 4pm.
'It was going pretty well, but once we got the water scoop established it was under control' he said.
It was not clear what had caused the fire, although one neighbour believed it had spread from a burn-off.
There is a fire ban in force in the area