Auckland tornado: PM expresses 'heartfelt sympathy' to family of man killed
Monday, 21 June 2021
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed her “heartfelt sympathy” to the family of a man killed in a freak tornado in south Auckland, as donations for the family surpass $63,000.
The tornado ravaged Papatoetoe on Saturday morning, tearing apart houses, injuring at least two people and killing contractor Janesh Prasad.
Prasad, who was a diesel mechanic for forklift business Stellar Machinery, was working at the South Auckland Freight Hub, in Wiri, when he was picked up by the tornado and thrown against an object.
Have you been affected by the tornado? Contact aucklandnewsroom@stuff.co.nz
**READ MORE:
* Auckland tornado: Worker died after being picked up and thrown against object
* Auckland tornado: Family mourn death as clean-up continues
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In a press conference on Monday afternoon, Ardern acknowledged those impacted by the “violent” weather over the weekend, including in Papatoetoe and Tairāwhiti, saying it had been a “distressing” time.
“I’d like to express my heartfelt sympathy for the family of Janesh Prasad, who lost his life as a result of the tornado in Auckland.”
“I know everyone’s thoughts are with [Prasad’s] wife, children, friends and colleagues,” she said.
On Sunday, a Givealittle fundraising page was set up in memory of Prasad, designed to offer support to his wife and two young children.
By 7.30pm on Monday, it had amassed $63,688 in donations.
Prasad, who was in his mid 40s, moved to New Zealand about five years ago from his home of Labasa in Fiji.
On Sunday, Prasad’s close friend Vishal Kumar described him as a hard-working man who worked tirelessly to support his extended family back in his home country.
Describing their relationship as one that was “like brothers”, Kumar – who grew up in Fiji with Prasad and also immigrated to New Zealand – said Prasad came from humble beginnings and worked hard to build a life for his family in New Zealand, all while sending money back to Fiji.
Auckland mayor Phil Goff described Prasad's death as an “absolute tragedy”.
A major clean-up operation continues in Papatoetoe on Monday with many families still unsure when they will be able to return home, as about 60 houses are uninhabitable.
While most houses in the Papatoetoe area have now had power restored, crews are still continuing to work onsite to restore power to the final properties on Puhinui Rd and Freyberg Ave, a spokeswoman from Vector said.
She expects “to have all properties restored today” – bar the uninhabitable homes.
However, no specific timeline can be promised as Vector is “co-ordinating with other services” and so the “timing relies on a number of parties”.
“We are all working together to get services back on for these families, and are communicating with affected customers to keep them updated.”
Mohammed Hafiz said he has no idea when he will be able to move back into his home on Hayward Rd.
His home was one of those severely damaged and deemed unsafe to live in.
His wife, son, daughter-in-law and 1-year-old granddaughter were at home on Saturday morning when the tornado struck, and took shelter in one of the rooms.
Since then, they have had to be housed separately at three different homes, with families in New Lynn and south Auckland, while their house is assessed for damage.
“We just want to come home. It happened so fast,” Hafiz said.
He was attending prayers at a mosque when his wife called him, distressed about their experience of the tornado.
“You never think anything like this could happen. We’re just blessed to be safe, alive and well,” he said.
His wife, Mumkez Begum, 59, said she was sitting on her bed when she heard strong winds.
She ran to the cupboard and took shelter in it. “I don’t know how I knew, I just knew it was a tornado and I needed to save myself.”
Andy Zhang, a local plumber, was in bed when the tornado hit on Saturday, while his wife and his 8-year-old daughter were at a swimming class.
“I didn’t know what to do, so I just held on to my bed,” he said.
He is feeling thankful for the help of the Papatoetoe community. Since the tornado, neighbours have offered food, blankets and even a place to stay for him and his family.
“I have to stay positive, and we have hope that everything will be sorted. I don’t think we can return to our home, the damages are really bad, we’ve lost everything but the clothes on our back,” he said.
“It’s just been so great to see our community help out.”
On Monday morning, Papatoetoe residents were seen patrolling the streets, offering help to fellow locals.
Sina Tawake had not been directly affected by the tornado, but wanted to help those who were.
“The damage, wow. All we can do is offer hot drinks, blankets and food – nothing compared to what they’ve lost. Hopefully it brings some comfort to them at this time,” she said.
Meanwhile, tree contractors say they have been working around the clock, and as quickly as they can, to clear debris and fallen trees.
A contractor, who didn’t want to be named, said the situation was unlike anything they had seen before.
“We just want to clear these all up, so people can go back into their homes, we know that’s what they all want.”
More than 10 of the company’s trucks have been out since 7am around Papatoetoe.
“We got the text from our boss after the tornado hit and most of us just answered straight away. We all wanted to do what we can to help out.”
Auckland Emergency Management response teams are also assisting the community, with building inspection teams visiting affected homes and waste collectors and street clean contractors on site.
Auckland Emergency Management duty controller Parul Sood said: “Response and inspection teams have visited almost all of the properties in the worst-hit areas. However, the nature of tornadoes has them hopping down a path, which can sometimes mean small areas of damage quite a distance away from the main site.”