Police have named the man killed by yesterday's Albany tornado.
He was Benedict Dacayan, a 37-year-old construction worker and North Shore resident.
Mr Dacayan's shocked colleagues say they are still numb at the fury of mother nature which took the life of their friend.
Mr Dacayan, married with young children and believed to be from the Philippines, was in a site office at the Albany Megacentre, about 15km north of Auckland Harbour Bridge, when it was picked up and hurled into a wall by the 200km/h twister about 3pm yesterday.
He died at the scene in spite of the frantic efforts of student nurse Sophie Bond to save his life. Another of his Fletcher Building colleagues was critically injured.
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Philip King, general manager investor relations for Fletcher Building, said workers were shocked at the death.
"It was a very random act of mother nature. It was shocking."
Mr Dacayan and other workers on the old Placemakers site at the Albany Megacentre when the tornado stuck.
Placemakers had moved out of the building several weeks ago and moved up the road to another site.
The building was being renovated and Fletcher Building had two site offices in the carpark. Both were badly damaged, Mr King said.
"The team was in one of the site offices and it was comprehensively lifted up and destroyed by the tornado. It was a portacabin. There were two of them. One was picked up and destroyed."
Mr King said his company had procedures, including a welfare fund, to help the dead man's family.
Police said today all the roads in the area were open but there was no access to the Megacentre and the Westfield mall car parks a short distance away.
Power had been restored and workers were out in force at first light cleaning up and carrying out repairs.
Police asked the owners of 55 cars in the mall car parks to contact North Shore Policing Centre.
An emergency welfare centre at the North Shore Events Centre had now closed but the Auckland Civil Defence said anyone needing welfare assistance could still call 0800 463 010.
Police said 10 of the 14 injured people were treated at hospitals in Auckland.
The tornado damaged four commercial properties and 23 residential properties. One of those homes - in Birkenhead 11km south of Albany - had been declared uninhabitable, said police.
Police said their cordons would stay in place today and urged people not to go to the area, saying there would be traffic delays for most of the day.
The police have announced that around 50 percent of the Westfield Mall is now open for business, and 90 percent of the Albany Mega Centre has re-opened today. The Albany Pak n Save and New World stores have also opened again.
Northcote member of Parliament Jonathon Coleman visited the damaged area today and Prime Minister John Key will visit tomorrow.
3 News / NZPA
source: newshub archive
