Business owners and shocked residents were busy yesterday picking up the pieces and pointing fingers.
The fire service received its first call just after 11pm, when a roof was torn from a dwelling on the corner of Turumaha St and Elmer Lane.
Part of the roof took down a neighbouring power pole, travelled across the road and smashed several vans at the rear section of Greenfield Motors, leaving a trail of splintered wood and twisted iron.
The violent tornado then stripped the roof off the fire-gutted former school dental clinic at the old junior high, collapsing a brick wall and in turn spraying the forecourt of Greenfield Motors with charred debris that smashed windows and damaged 17 vehicles.
Before it finished, the violent gusts continued across Tainui St to the Greymouth RSA, peeling the roof back like a sardine tin and leaving roofing material and wood thrown across the bowling green behind.
Honda Farm, Trail and Road also suffered damage to windows and a parked vehicle.
A visibly frustrated Ross Brown of Greenfield Motors pointed the blame squarely at the derelict dental clinic.
"If that building had been cleaned up, I wouldn’t have 17 wrecked cars.
"If it happened during the day and a piece of that roof had killed someone it would be different. I’m out cleaning up the mess because my yard is filled with dirty black timber and I am out of work for the day.
"If it was anyone else with an untidy building ... it’s been over six months since it went up in smoke."
The Grey District Council, which had staff at the scene yesterday, advised him that Mawhera Inc was awaiting demolition consent from the regional council.
"The legislative levers the council has to pull in this situation are limited.
"We can only encourage action on a building like this — we can’t enforce it — as much as we’d love to."
Greymouth Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Lee Swinburn said fire crews spent about an hour making the area safe. Police and power authorities were on the scene as well as roading authorities cleaning up the road, he said.
The tornado had burned itself out by Alexander St — "it was short and sharp."
ElectroNet contractors on site said a concrete power-pole in Elmer Lane had been snapped.
At the RSA, clean-up was in progress, while water dripped from damaged ceiling tiles.
Vice-president Bob Jones said simply: "It’s unreal."
Manager Fiona Scott was called about midnight by club president Franco Horridge, who told her the roof had "fallen off".
"We are now cleaning up, the insurance assessors have been and the builders have moved in, it’s all getting sorted.
"We don’t know what other damage has occurred up there," she said
By Meg Fulford
