Freak whirlwind unroofs shed and causes blackout

The power went out and the peace and quiet of Friday afternoon was dramatically broken in Bowen Street when a violent whirlwind, described by witnesses as a ‘mini tornado’ ripped the roof off a shed at the rear of Thomas’s store and hurled sheets of corrugated iron across Bowen Street and onto the vacant block opposite St Francis Xavier’s School.

The whirlwind was a freak storm, sudden, localised but destructive.

Karen Brooks, who lives on the corner of Nandewar and Bowen Streets, was looking out her kitchen window across to Thomas’s store when she saw the whirlwind strike.

“The shed just exploded. It just tore the roof off and corrugated iron was blown out into the street.

“It is very lucky there were no people or vehicles in its path.”

Firefighters cut up and remove the roofing debris. Firefighters cut up and remove the roofing debris.

Corrugated iron hangs from the power lines. Corrugated iron hangs from the power lines.

This iron was hurled across Bowen Street and over the Brooks’ house to land on the vacant block next door. This iron was hurled across Bowen Street and over the Brooks’ house to land on the vacant block next door.

SES volunteers help with the clean up. SES volunteers help with the clean up.

One large sheet of corrugated iron about three metres square was blown across Bowen Street and over the top of the Brooks’ house.

“The sheet of iron was driven low to the ground and then a gust took it up and over our house to land next door” Karen said.

A startled Sue Thomas came running out of the shop to see what had happened after she said she heard a loud bang as the whirlwind hit.

She found corrugated iron hanging off the powerlines in Bowen Street and out in the street.

The iron on the wires cut the power across sections of town in some places like The Crossing Theatre for only a few seconds but in part of the main street and some residential areas for about an hour with some Maitland Street businesses having to close for the duration.

Clean up and restoration of power was a hot job for emergency services crews.

The Essential Energy team was quickly on the scene to restore power. The Bowen Street section was closed off while Narrabri Fire and Rescue firefighters and SES volunteers cleared the debris.

Surveying the destroyed sheds Sue Thomas observed that the building had lasted probably more than 100 years until Friday.
“The sheds were the original stables for the store” Sue said, “however, now they are substantially damaged, with the roof gone.

The only consolation is that there is unlikely to be any rain damage to anything in the roofless building.

A passerby, Peter Brayshaw, commented that he had just returned from a trip to Orange.

“On the way back we saw several whirlwinds in the paddocks.”Another resident reported seeing more of the same on a trip back from Tamworth.

“The one we saw was just like a mini ‘twister’ from the American mid west” he said.

“It spiralled up into the sky and was soon gone, but was very violent. Are we seeing more of these events these days?” he wondered.