www.awnw.com.au
Issue #290 – Wednesday, 15 July, 2015
Albury Wodonga’s largest circulating newspaper
Just ridin’ the rails The weekend may have been freezing, but the action was red-hot at Mt Buller’s 10th annual Burton Cattleman’s Rail Jam. SEE SPORT FOR ALL THE SNOWBOARDING ACTION
Twister terror By ERIN SOMERVILLE SARAH Joy Fandrich’s family are counting their blessings after a tornado ripped through their Burrumbuttock property on Saturday evening, causing almost $100,000 worth of damage. A mangled garage, battered vehicle, shifted water tank and uprooted trees are reminders of the supercell that hit their Orelda Siding Road property about 3pm. The family believes the tornado came within metres of their home. “We believe from looking at the evidence the eye of the storm brushed by our house by only a few metres,� she said. “It sounded like huge hail, so I assumed we were having a massive hail storm. “I looked out the window and saw trees flying by.� The funnel of the tornado then headed towards a neighbouring property. Mrs Fandrich said she felt blessed her husband, the pastor of the Burrumbuttock Lutheran Church, and their six children remained safe in the storm despite potential deadly outcomes. “Our eldest daughter opened the side door to look out. “A small tank was moved from our paddock down to our verandah, and she just missed getting hit by that. “We are very grateful no-one was hurt.� The tornado only took around three minutes to tear past the property, but Mrs Fandrich said it was substantial in size. “They’re calling it a mini tornado, but I wouldn’t have said it was mini. “It was about 25-30 metres wide.� The suction appeared powerful enough to pull a light fixture cleanly from the roof of one of their vehicles.
Sarah Joy Fandrich had a moment to capture the funnel of the tornado over a neighbour’s property before it vanished. 141708 Picture: SARAH JOY FANDRICH The Fandriches also lost personal property in their garage that they were still unpacking after moving to the area only nine months ago. Damage was also caused to their solar panels, pipes, and their blue van needed to transport their six children. Sadly two of their geese were killed by the effects of the storm. “We had two geese that were picked up and thrown about, one was killed instantly. The other was very sad and the gander stood by her, and when she put her head down he walked off and that’s how I knew she was dead.� The family were grateful for the support offered by the local State Emergency Service and council in cleaning away debris quickly and fixing water damage.
The Fandrich family feel lucky to have escaped unharmed from a tornado that ripped through their property. 141708 Picture: ADAM WILSON The Albury and Culcairn SES helped a further two homes affected by the storm. An inland tornado during winter is an unusual event, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. “It’s not common, but it’s not unheard of either,� bureau meteorologist Andrea Peace said. “Cool season tornadoes usually
happen around coastal areas and start out as water spouts.� Ms Peace said the tornado was caused by warm air meeting with cold air, and was more typical in warmer months. Check out more photos of the powerful storm at alburywodonga.starcommunity.com.au
State Emergency Service workers clear trees on a property near Burrumbuttock. 141708
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