Freak storm wreaks havoc in Invercargill

BY MICHAEL FORBES AND SAM MCKNIGHT

Retail stores were evacuated, houses flooded and shoppers ran for cover when a freak storm caused chaos in Invercargill yesterday.

The deluge of water and hail that struck the city about 2pm triggered alarms and swamped businesses throughout the city and sent emergency services scrambling to cope.

About 100 staff and 200 customers were evacuated from H&J Smith after the storm tripped its alarm.

Chief executive John Green said hail-filled downpipes blocked drainage from the roof and caused water to spill down into the store.

"Our roof is the size of one and a half football fields, so when the water came down through the store, the combination of it and the lightning triggered our alarm."

Staff worked hard to clean up the mess before the store re-opened at 4pm, he said.

"It was pretty horrific ... when we saw there was hail involved we knew we had a problem," Mr Green said.

"It was so loud but there was a mixed reaction from customers. Some wanted to grab a towel and help us out while others were quite happy to wade through water and keep on shopping."

Invercargill woman Amber Walker was with her family at the Copper Kettle restaurant inside H&J Smith when the storm struck.

"Water was literally pouring down from the ceiling. They (staff) put a bucket under it but it was full in a matter of minutes," she said.

"It was the worst storm I've ever seen."

Her 10-year-old son Laagan Harper said "huge bursts of purple and yellow lightning" gave him a real fright.

There were similar stories for several Invercargill businesses.

Plaza Supervalue closed and customers evacuated as the deluge backed up stormwater drains and overflowed into the store.

Owner David Bakker said it was the worst he had seen in 30 years' working at the supermarket, with the floor swamped by about 5cm of water. The Fire Service was required but only because he needed to borrow a squeegee off it, Mr Bakker said.

Briscoes, Countdown and Rebel Sport staff also spent the afternoon mopping up water that spilled inside the stores.

All businesses spoken to said it would take days to evaluate stock and any structural damage.

The Southland District Council was also vacated as water spilled into one of the worst places possible, the IT department.

Council spokesman Phil Culling said one office in particular was quite badly flooded. The Fire Service told them to shut off the power to the building and they operated on batteries for about an hour, he said. "The (council) building is old with a few leaks. They're just a bit bigger now."

The Invercargill City Council was also evacuated, with a leak penetrating a smoke alarm and triggering the alarm system.

- © Fairfax NZ News