A caravan with three people inside has been tipped over by freak gust of wind at an Adelaide van park.
Renae Welsh and her two young children were forced to wait for an hour as crews worked to free them following the drama at Moana Beach Tourist Park.
9News reports that crews stabilised the van, before helping the family and their pets out with ladders.
Ms Welsh said the ordeal had been ‘very scary’.
Other guests at the van park had spoken to the terrified family through the caravan window to reassure them that help was on the way.
Witnesses told 9News that the storm was like a ‘cyclone’, causing caravans and cabins to shake.
Emergency services attended the caravan park. PIC: SA Police
“They say it is like a train coming through and that’s what it sounded like, this great gust of wind, then I heard a bang,” one woman said.
“The wind came up and the rain and next minute it was like a bomb had gone off, all the bins went everywhere and there was a hell of a noise,” another resident told 9News.
Ms Welsh and her family, who weren’t injured in the incident, had been living at the park as they had been unable to secure a permanent home.
According to 9News, park owners have organised for the family to stay in a cabin until they get back on their feet.
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yes at Toowoomba showgrounds 2 years ago
We went through a cyclone many years ago with our van. It was a Viscount and heavier than vans of today. That was scarey.
Driving on the Landsborough Highway Tues night (20th Sept) just before 9pm. Refueled in Winton which was dry. Encountered rain showers (scuddy storms) between Winton and Kynuna, the last 25-30km into Kynuna driving west, encountered multiple strong wind gusts. 16km from Kynuna the wind ripped the awning and the awning frame from its mounts from the side of the Millard caravan. Became aware when I saw the sparks in the left side mirror. Too late, damage done. Only one of the awning arms remained attached, the rest of the awning and frame, gone. Found the next morning 10km further back. Had driven from Bogantungan that morning. Hadn’t used the awning since departing Benaraby near Gladstone a few days before. Now awaiting insurance.
Many years ago, my husband and I camped in our Kimberley Kamper at the Cumberland River Gorge on the Great Ocean Road near Lorne. We set up camp on a picturesque spot near the river with views across to the tall cliffs. Knowing that stormy weather was coming, my husband made sure we were well set up and firmly anchored down. I will never forget the sound of the gale force winds regularly roaring up the narrow gorge during the night. They sounded like steam trains from hell. The Kamper was rocking on its axles and I was sure at any moment we would be taking off like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz! Pelting rains beat against the canvas for hours. My husband was up most of the night hammering pegs and tightening guy ropes.
In the morning, I tentatively stepped out of the Kamper to an eerily quiet, calm sunlit camp. The many tents that had been there the day before had disappeared. This mystery was soon solved when I discovered that the amenties block was crowded with bedragled campers. Every space was covered with dripping articles of camping gear. Our Kamper was the only one left standing.