December 9, 200
Helen Nugent
UK Times
Residents of the London suburb wrecked by a tornado may have to wait up to eight months before they can return to their homes, while some properties will have to be torn down.
Photo: Thirty-six houses were severely damaged in Thursday's tornado in Kensal Rise, northwest London. Two must be demolished (Nick Stern)
As dozens of people left homeless by the freak weather in Kensal Rise, North London, were allowed back into their properties to assess damage and collect belongings, Brent Council told residents that some may have to spend Christmas in temporary housing.
Speaking before a packed meeting at the West Kilburn British Legion club, Ifan Malik, assistant director of environment and culture at the council, said that “one or two” houses would be demolished. Another 34 were severely damaged.
“We have had a hectic night but you have had a worse night,” he told the crowd. “The most important factor is that people want to get back to their homes. They want access . . . and that is our main priority.
“There are 20 properties that we believe are uninhabitable. Some of them are, in fact, quite dangerous. There are problems with the roofs and chimneys teetering.”
Mr Malik said that although tornados did not happen often in London, the council had a plan for emergencies which it put into operation straight away. “I think we have done a good job,” he said.
Photo: Scotland Yard said the tornado had passed but that the London Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service were still at the scene on Chamberlayne Road in Kensal Rise, which was closed (Toby Melville/ Reuters)
But some residents leaving yesterday’s meeting criticised council officials for not providing them with enough help.
Kalpna Patel, 30, fought back tears as she said: “I don’t feel like I got as much information as I should have had. Questions weren’t answered and I don’t know if my house is safe or not. We haven’t had any surveyors or engineers round to look at it and we’ve got little children there. Our chimney’s broken, tiles have come off the roof and the house is leaking.
“We don’t know what’s going on. Everyone seems to be concerned with the worst-affected homes, but they haven’t bothered to tell us the full story.
“The roof could collapse at any moment. I did stay in the property last night but I was terrified. I was sick with worry.”
The tornado struck on Thursday morning, turning the sky black, ripping roofs from houses and forcing an emergency evacuation of the area.
Photo: The house is one of many damaged after a freak twister wrecked property and vehicles (Chris Radburn/PA)
Residents described how windows smashed and garage roofs peeled off like “lids on tins of baked beans”.
About 100 homes were damaged and residents were forced to spend the night in hotels or with friends and family.
Despite the widespread destruction in a number of streets, only six people were hurt. They suffered only minor injuries.
One victim, Peter Cannon, a 64-year-old retired laboratory technician said that he was “feeling zombiefied. I haven’t been allowed back to my house and I didn’t get much sleep last night. I just want to be told when I can go back because I’ve got a cat that’s trapped inside.
“This is a huge project that will cost many thousands of pounds so we need everyone to be patient,” he said.
“I have told the residents concerned to expect anything between six and eight months until they are able to return to their houses.”
Photo: One resident ran out of her house as the side wall was ripped away, with bricks falling on parked cars and covering the road (Cheryl Qui)
“It was a terrifying experience. I was trapped inside my first-floor bedsit as the storm had slammed shut the door and I couldn’t get it open.
“All I remember is a big bang and a great gust of wind through the window,” he said.
A police cordon was still in place last night on some streets as estimates of the repair costs rose to £20 million.
Mr Malik said that one of the main challenges was to make sure insurance companies were liasing with surveyors.
Sarah Teather, the Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East, said she was looking into setting up a relief fund for residents who were not covered by insurance.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2494788,00.html