Industry News from Yes Insurance
07 December 2006 Surprise tornado rips through London houses
London residents were shocked when a tornado hit the north-west of the city at around 11:00GMT this morning.
Video footage from overhead helicopters shows the extent of the damage the high speed winds have caused in and around the Kensal Rise area, with roofs entirely ripped off, windows blown out and whole terraced houses left decimated by the gusts.
Strewn bricks and roof tiles smashed through residents' windows and damaged nearby vehicles. Trees were uprooted and fences smashed in what one resident has described as "some sort of cyclone".
Tim Klotz, a Harlesden who works in entertainment and film, told the press: "It was like some sort of cyclone. I was actually in an attic room working at my desk on the computer and there was heavy rain and sleet and then the wind just really changed.
"I looked up through a skylight and debris was falling through the air. I heard what seemed like large, clay dominoes falling, which I think were roof tiles."
Emergency services were said to have arrived at the scene almost immediately and current figures estimate that just six people sustained injuries.
Residents are now worried that the tornado may have affected the structural aspects of their properties as well as damaging the exteriors.
Though Britain typically encounters around 30 tornadoes each year, it is considered unlikely for house insurance premiums to be affected by today's devastation.
© Adfero Ltd
Video footage from overhead helicopters shows the extent of the damage the high speed winds have caused in and around the Kensal Rise area, with roofs entirely ripped off, windows blown out and whole terraced houses left decimated by the gusts.
Strewn bricks and roof tiles smashed through residents' windows and damaged nearby vehicles. Trees were uprooted and fences smashed in what one resident has described as "some sort of cyclone".
Tim Klotz, a Harlesden who works in entertainment and film, told the press: "It was like some sort of cyclone. I was actually in an attic room working at my desk on the computer and there was heavy rain and sleet and then the wind just really changed.
"I looked up through a skylight and debris was falling through the air. I heard what seemed like large, clay dominoes falling, which I think were roof tiles."
Emergency services were said to have arrived at the scene almost immediately and current figures estimate that just six people sustained injuries.
Residents are now worried that the tornado may have affected the structural aspects of their properties as well as damaging the exteriors.
Though Britain typically encounters around 30 tornadoes each year, it is considered unlikely for house insurance premiums to be affected by today's devastation.
© Adfero Ltd
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