Yarrie Lake resident Francis Drysdale captured the damage left by what he described as ‘a mini tornado’, which ripped through Connie and Paul Smith’s property last week.
Mr Drysdale’s photos show the debris left by the strange weather event that sadly cost Mrs Smith and her family assets and much-loved possessions, including a caravan, a shed and a trampoline that her grandchildren adored.
“My chook shed was doing circles in the air,” Mrs Smith told the The Courier.
“It started to move the cubby house; I could see everything swirling from the kitchen window.”
Mrs Smith said she had arrived home early from work last Thursday and was with her grandchildren when ‘five-seconds of destruction’ hit at about 3:10pm.
“Everyone was screaming, and the little boys were crying,” she explained.
“The noise of it coming through was horrendous; I don’t know how people live in America with the tornadoes they have.
“Thankfully no one was injured, and it missed the house and other sheds.”
Mrs Smith said one of her grandchildren loves hanging out in the caravan.
“We call it his man cave,” she said, grateful he wasn’t inside the van at the time but the family is devastated it’s been lost.
“It picked the caravan up about 10 feet in the air in a circulation motion and then it dropped it.
“There is a piece of corrugated iron in a paddock that got pushed down by the force of it and we can’t budge it.”
Mrs Smith was appreciative of the kindness shown by community members following the wild weather event, including her concerned neighbours the Drysdales who raced over to see if everyone was okay – which is when Mr Drysdale captured the images.
“It is a reminder to check your insurance,” added Mrs Smith.
“Natural events do happen in communities.”
