A GRANDMOTHER’S roof was ripped off by a TORNADO as an almighty bang took it off in seconds and now she won’t have a home for months.
Margaret Mullineux, 89, was alone when the twister smashed into her end-of-terrace property in Littlehampton, West Sussex.
Eddie MitchellA tornado ripped the roof off a home in Littlehampton, West Sussex, on Saturday night[/caption]
Eddie MitchellMargaret Mullineux, 89, was alone when the twister smashed into her property[/caption]
PABedroom furniture and the chimney stack were hurled across the street by the whirlwind[/caption]
The whirlwind shredded the roof, hurling bedroom furniture, a chimney stack and household items across the street.
Recalling Saturday night’s horror, Margaret said: “It was terrifying. I just heard an almighty bang.
“Next thing I know the whole roof has gone. In all my years I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.
“We thought the cat had gone missing – it was all a bit of an ordeal. Of all the houses on this street, just my luck it had to be mine.”
Margaret has since been told that it will be two months before she can return to her home – where she has lived since she was 70.
The former housewife is left wrangling with the council for temporary accommodation while she is holed up in a nearby hotel.
A local roofing firm, South West Roofing, has since offered to temporarily cover up the property free of charge.
Her son, Ian Joslin, 65, added: “We got the call and we couldn’t believe what we were hearing.
“We were in the hospital – my seventh grandchild was just about to be born and I get told that my mum’s roof has been ripped off by a tornado.”
The retired police officer from Bideford, Devon, added: “The emergency services were absolutely brilliant though.
“They did a brilliant job of making sure she was okay.”
Margaret’s carer Linda Grove said: “She was so terrified. The ambulance had to come round and give her oxygen to help her breathe.
“She’s staying in a hotel now whilst they find her somewhere to live.
“There’s no way she’ll be back in the house until after Christmas.”
Amidst the chaos, Margaret’s cat Mittens was briefly lost before being found by neighbours who are now caring for her.
By Monday the house remained uncovered, with a police cordon around the property.
Debris remained scattered along the road following the “severe” cyclone which forced The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (Torro) to attend on Monday.
They categorised the twister a ‘T4’ aka a “strong” tornado, the scale goes up to a “violent” T11.
The Met Office confirmed the tornado and spokesman Grahame Madge said: “On average, the UK receives reports of around 30 tornadoes each year.
“They are mainly less intense than anticipated in other parts of the world, but per square mile we have more tornadoes in the UK than some parts of the United States.”
Carer Linda said of Margaret: “I don’t think she was really aware of what was going on.
“I sat in the ambulance with her afterwards. She’s taken on board what has happened but she’s still quite shocked.”
Neighbour Chris Grayson, 45, was at home as heavy rain and gales sparked carnage in the street on Saturday.
He told The Sun: “I opened the door to see what was going on and bits of debris just started flying into the house.
“It was so violent I had to slam the door shut. I had never seen anything like it – the trees had gone completely horizontal.”
Nearby Wick was also struck by the weather funnel over the weekend as wind and rain sparked flooding and toppled trees.
The popular Ship Inn pub at Cockwood, Devon, was forced to close after it collapsed in heavy downpours.
And Sunderland seafront was wrecked and debris scattered along it on Monday morning after a night of extreme weather.
It comes as the Met Office have put much of Britain under yellow weather warnings.
The alerts were issued over the weekend – with them expected to be in place until Thursday.
Heavy rain is forecast to lash down on the south coast of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Rainfall of up to 60mm is said to fall while the warnings are in place.
The popular Ship Inn pub at Cockwood, Devon, was forced to close after it collapsed in heavy downpours FPS Images
metofficeWeather warnings have been issued for rain across the country[/caption]
Damage in Sunderland seafront on Monday morning after a night of chaosNNP
PAA Tesco car park in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, was now completely underwater over the weekend[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
