Roleystone Residents Left Reeling After Fierce Storm Hits Perth’s South-East

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, residents of Roleystone in Perth’s south-eastern suburbs found themselves in the midst of chaos as a severe storm, potentially a tornado, swept through the area. The storm, which hit between 12:30 AM and 1:30 AM, caused extensive damage, ripping roofs off houses, felling trees, and leaving more than 1,600 homes without power.

The fierce thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall and high winds, resulting in immediate alerts from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Just before the storm hit, residents from Henderson, Anketell, Byford, and Jandakot, stretching out to Armadale and surrounding suburbs, were warned to prepare for severe weather.

Witnesses reported waking up to an alarming scene; tree branches had been strewn across roads. In some instances, cars were found skewered by fallen trees. Emergency services received around 35 calls for help from the onset of the storm until noon on Tuesday, with reports of downed trees on power lines, especially prominent in Roleystone.

One of the most affected areas was the Irymple Orchard cherry farm, where Debbie Bettenay, a member of the family that has owned the property since 1901, witnessed the destruction firsthand. “I was asleep in my house when the storm came tearing through,” said Bettenay. “I heard some strong winds and rain during the night but was shocked to see the huge amount of damage in the morning.”

Bettenay described the aftermath: “I felt the wind really, a very strong wind and very heavy rain. When I opened the curtains, I could see the shed had just exploded. I’d say it’s wrecked. A third of the roof is off.” Debris from the roof was found nearly 100 meters away on the property.

Her concerns extended not just to the damage to the shed, which had been a fixture for 60 years, but to the 100-year-old Jarrah trees that had been uprooted. “All of these beautiful trees are gone. I’d say about 20 plus,” she lamented.

Despite the destruction, the Bettenay family found a silver lining; their vintage truck was housed in a 124-year-old shed, which thankfully remained mostly unscathed. In a light-hearted post on social media, the family expressed their gratitude for the hard work of locals who helped clear the driveway, noting they planned to welcome visitors for cherry picking season in November.

Across Hawkstone Road, the storm’s ferocity was evident. Trees were uprooted, and properties sustained severe damage. One resident, Peta Carrigan, recalled the terrifying moments as she was jolted awake by the storm’s intensity. “It was the most horrendous noise, loud, loud noise of wind, followed very shortly by crashing of trees,” she recounted.

Carrigan’s home also suffered significant damage with her flat-roof pergola completely removed and launched into her neighbor’s yard. “We have leaks in three rooms in the house,” she said in disbelief, looking at the devastation surrounding her home. “It’s just surreal, it’s like an apocalypse for us.”

Another resident, Linda Moore, echoed Carrigan’s sentiments, adamant that what they experienced resembled a tornado. “It was a roaring sound, we had huge, really heavy rain,” she said. “The tornado has gone through our packing shed. It’s just cut a really narrow path through Roleystone, it’s pretty impressive.”

While the Bureau of Meteorology stated they had no direct evidence of a tornado in the area, meteorologists confirmed that tornadic storms can develop under the right conditions, and severe thunderstorm warnings had been issued prior to the weather event.

The Bureau relayed, “Radar imagery does show some thunderstorms moving through the Roleystone area at around midnight.” They noted that the challenge in predicting tornadoes lies in identifying clear warning signs, which must be observed through direct observations or reliable radar data.

As the storm wreaked havoc, the City of Armadale experienced its own troubles with flooding at their front reception. The administration building had to be closed for both Tuesday and Wednesday due to the deluge. Schools in the area, including Roleystone Community College, were also affected by both flooding and power outages.

At the peak of the storm, about 2,000 properties in Roleystone and the nearby suburb of Martin lost electricity. As restoration efforts continued throughout Tuesday, 254 residents were still without power in Roleystone by mid-morning, with an estimated restoration time projected for 1 PM.

The storm’s sudden arrival and severe nature caught many residents off guard, prompting discussions about the possibility of climate-related weather changes in the region. As they began to assess damages and clean up the debris, the community rallied together, helping one another recover from the unexpected, fierce storm that so dramatically impacted their lives.