Clean up after 50 houses damaged by tornadoes

The clean up has begun in Taranaki after a series of tornadoes struck in the area.

The fire service has been joined by volunteers and local builders to secure houses with tarpaulins and loose boards.

Oakura chief fire officer Craig Scott said fire fighters were working until 2am this morning and were back out on the streets by seven.

Last night fire fighters went from house to house securing tarpaulins and checking that there were no major injuries.

"There are 40 to 50 houses with major damage and between five and ten are over 75 percent damaged.

"We've had two storey houses loose total stories,' he said.

Mr Scott said power poles have been ripped out of the ground but the roadways are clear.

"This morning it's clean-up in bold and underlined,' he said.

Today the fire service hope to make contact with farmers.

Taranaki Civil Defence information officer Rusty Ritchie said there's no reports of major injuries but houses are "seriously damaged'.

The 60-100 tarpaulins stored by civil defence were used up last night and another 50 arrived from Auckland this morning.

He said the community has pulled together.

"We activated a welfare centre but there was no demand for it. Everyone chipped in,' Mr Ritchie said.

He said people who had lost their homes were taken in by neighbours.

Taranaki Civil Defence management said about 2600 households throughout South Taranaki are still without power.