Can anyone remember?

[boycott]

Read this article today and was wondering if any of the present PL members can remember this happening in Limassol?
Full Article with pictures from http://allaboutlimassol.com/en/disaster-in-limassol


In 1969, just a few days before Christmas, an unexpected weather phenomenon hit Limassol, leaving behind a big destruction, extensive damages and 2 casualties. The disaster with the 3 tornadoes that hit the city that year passed to history and it was one of the most serious natural disaster that occurred in Limassol, after the Cyprus Independence.

On that cold December day, 3 big tornadoes appeared to emerge from the sea at Akrotiri area. From there, they began to furiously beat Limassol, sweeping through what was ahead of them. The 1 of the 3 was stronger, causing the greatest damage and scaring the fear of where it was passing through.

The roofs of the houses were flawing in the air, houses collapsed, and trees were crushed. Still, unimaginable to the human mind, the tornado has managed to lift and overturn entire cars and 1 truck. However, the greatest loss was that of human life, as 2 Limassolians (1 of whom was Giannakis Villanos, father of the Metropolitan of Limassol) died from the tornado, making the city mourn just a few hours before the Christmas celebration.

The tornado it was huge, very distinct and accompanied by huffing air and rain. Within 15 minutes, it managed to hit the heart of Limassol, the Port, Eleftherias and Navarinou Street, Makarios Avenue, Mesa Gitonia and Agios Athanasios areas. The only people who seemed fearlessly in front of the phenomenon were some children who, as they say, ran him out on the bike, trying to reach him and discover its finishing point. The tornado weakened while moving towards to the mountains, on the north, where it lost its strength and disappeared.

[Poppy]

Too long ago for me but I do remember a mini tornado that hit Tala possibly 9/10 years ago.It was quite scary, caused some damage to the school and uprooted the phone box in Tala square.

[PhotoLady]

No, but some of the people I have worked with at various places during my years spent in Limassol have told me just how scary it was.

One of the years I was working not far from the old port at Limassol there was a concern a tornado was forming off the coast and the conditions of the weather were particularly ripe for one. Rumour had it that a couple of planes went up from Akrotiri to break it up...

I've no idea how true that was or even if it's possible to do that but it made for an interesting few hours of standing watching the sky from our office balconies during the late morning

[JimX]

I remember this at Vardas beach, it came on shore and damaged parts of the cafe structure, parts hitting a German chap, he was OK after a trip to the General

As to the year?, many years ago..I was not scared, too busy looking for shelter.

[PhotoLady]

I think that is classed as a waterspout as opposed to a tornado....

There's been several at various places in Cyprus and recall there was a big one a few years ago off Ayia Napa but there's definitely some footage on YouTube of a tornado causing chaos in Larnaka in 2009.

[WHL]

Big one in Larnaca some years ago, it picked up some caravans that were on the beach and threw them some fifty metres away,,,sun beds etc landed further away, my parents were staying in a hotel near by and witnessed it,

[jamtrax]

Thought I'd answer this thread as I was actually there when the tornado storm hit Limassol. The date was Tuesday 23rd December 1969 at 16:15 (4.15pm). We were getting prepared for Christmas at the time and were sat in the lounge. The day had been unsettled and felt different and a little "close". Late afternoon we were hit by a torrential downpour followed by large hailstones which damaged car roofs and covered the veranda. We noticed the weather had changed dramatically with heavy clouds. Within minutes we heard what sounded like a heavy lorry rumbling up the street and carried on what we were doing. The rumbling got louder and the light in the house got darker so mum turned on the light and we wondered what the noise was. We started to feel a vibration and the pressure in our ears change as the noise got louder and louder. I tried to look out the front door and felt a tremendous "to and fro" tug of my body as a wind whipped through the house. It felt like something was coming over the house and thought a tidal wave but quickly ruled that out when I suddenly remembered a lecture at school about tornado's. With that I screamed to mum to shut all the "drop blinds" on all the windows and we gathered in the entrance hall. The noise started to get louder and the wind became fierce. I again tried to open the front door and as I opened it the door shook violently and the glass got sucked out and my brother held onto me. At this point we became scared and our mother gathered us together and we retreated to the centre of the house, a corridor and closed all doors. Within seconds the building started to shake violently and the lights went out. The wind became a deafening roar and our ears started popping. It became very dark and the noise got ever more louder. We heard screaming from neighbours and the sound of smashing glass and debris flying around. The shaking became worse and worse and the noise louder and the darkness was suffocating.
By this time we thought we were going to die as cracks appeared in the ceiling and our little brother was crying while our mother wrapped her arms around the four of us. After what seemed like hours but was probably only a minute the noise started to subside and the pressure on ours disappeared.
After a minute or say we walked cautiously into the front entrance hall and saw the door was destroyed and the porch windows all missing. The wind seemed to increase again and we again backed off but this was only a fleeting moment as we again walked to the front door.

I stepped out onto the veranda which was covered in mud and slime and looked to the North where I saw the tornado, like a huge thick funnel with debris spinning around it as it headed up to the Troodos mountains. It was then I realised there was another Tornado to the East, smaller, that was dancing around and a third near it which seemed to be whip-lashing around. I again turned to the main tornado after it hit Pylons lighting up the eerie sky and saw what looked like some cattle spinning in the air. Above us were this swirling dark clouds racing around in crazy circles that gradually dissipated with some clear sunny sky coming over the seafront. The tornado's soon faded away and then did my eyes see the carnage around us. The house was OK except for missing glass and a few cracks but the water system on the roof had disappeared along with no power to the entire neighbourhood. Our next neighbour's house was badly damaged and everything from her kitchen had travelled to the front of the house and ended up on the driveway. She had not shut her drop shutters as we had and suffered more internal damage. She was crying and very frightened like we all were. We looked down the street and everything had a layer of wet slimy mud covering everything. Other neighbours came out of their homes to rally together in shock and disbelief and a temporary post set up to give out what candles we had and bottles of water.

My brother and myself wandered down the muddy street and saw loads of Coca-Cola bottles lying everywhere and several vehicles upside down. We saw bits of newspaper jammed into the electricity poles telling us the wind must have been very rapid to cause that. More people came out of their homes, many sobbing uncontrollably and praying on the streets. Many local people thought it was punishment for not giving enough praise to God. We saw a newly built home in front of our street completely destroyed but no one had moved in yet. We went back to our neighbours where a post for help had been set up and we all rallied together supporting each other best we could. We went back home around 19:00 to a dark, damp and eerie house and endured a scary sleepless night with howling winds.

Meantime, our Dad who worked at RAF Akrotiri told his story once he had got home to us. He said it started with a group of waterspouts, possibly six dancing off the coast when several headed inward. When they touched the coast they took on a dark appearance and one went straight through the base ripping parts of an aircraft hanger panelling off. My Dad dived under a lorry and endured a battering of hail and wild wind although he was not directly in the path. The tornado missed the hospital and carved a path straight for Limassol missing another hospital and drove straight through heading Northwards. At least two tornados were active over Limassol reports said although we saw three ourselves. My Dad as well as many other personnel struggled to get back to Limassol and Episkopi with traffic chaos everywhere and it was many hours before he came home.

The next day the local paper's published some photographs and thought it was a miracle that only two people had died considering the ferocity of the main tornado. The Paper's details given were a speed of 200mph + at it's core and a path of 40mph which zigzagged through Limassol. The attached photo is the only image we believe was a copy of the local paper cover photo. We tried to get more info from the papers but we're talking about events 50 years ago and got no response. We believe that the solid block & brick homes of Limassol prevented mass destruction as everything wooden was destroyed evidenced by the amount of debris strewn across the town. Even cars were hurled some distance across the town.
I could add a lot more detail on damage and events following this storm but suffice to say enough's been given of our experience living through this. I'm now 62 and was 12 years old then but the memory is so vivid I will never forget that day!

[Dominic]

Gosh, as first posts go, that one will take some beating.

Welcome to the forum Jamtrax, and thank you very much for that post.

[PhotoLady]

Fabulous memories!
I believe the safest place to take cover is in a central room, preferably one with no windows such as a corridor where doors can be closed off and better still, hide inside the bath (for those who still have one).

I'm fascinated by freak weather and am still waiting for my "official" retirement to arrive because the first holiday we book after that is for me to go on a jaunt down Tornado Alley storm chasing those twisters.