Thought this might be a good one to investigate:
Source: NZ TVNZ:
Tornado sweeps through Cambridge
Oct 17, 2008 6:26 AM
A mini tornado has ripped through Cambridge in the Waikato, damaging a number of buildings, with a rest home being one of the worst hit.
The tornado hit without warning about 3.00 Friday morning and five minutes later when it swept eastwards out of town, more than 100 houses had lost or damaged roofs. Trees and powerlines were left sprawled on the ground and many cars were damaged.
No one is believed to have been hurt but Cambridge chief fire officer Don Gerrand says damage is widespread and many homes and parts of Cambridge were without power at first light.
Twelve of the residents in one wing of the Oakdale Rest Home have been evacuated, but no one was hurt. Fire fighters are working to patch up the roof of the building and are pumping out flood water.
Gerrand says the town's volunteer firefighters responded within minutes but power was cut to the fire station and torches were needed. Communications were not affected as radios went to battery power.
"It is the biggest we have had here. A hotel lost its roof, so did the BP Service station and an old folks' home.
"It has created a bit of destruction right through from one end of the town to the other."
Gerrand says within five minutes the tornado had gone, leaving firefighters astounded at the damage.
"An 80-year-old oak tree was just plucked out of the ground."
He says the power of nature is very scary.
"One resident had a budgie aviary and it is no longer there - or the budgies. It is not even on his section," Gerrand says.
Damage was mostly to iron roofs with sheets of long run iron ripped off.
"There is (roofing) iron hanging out of trees, power lines, all over the place."
He says heavier concrete tile roofs seem to have mostly been left intact.
