Fire crews still had 70 or 80 callouts from this afternoon’s storm damage deluge to respond to at 6.30pm tonight and FENZ Southland District manager Julian Tohiariki says they’re now operating on local radio procedures to take the pressure off their communications control centre.

“We’ve got something like eight (fire) trucks and two vans. We’ve had a lot of roofs coming off. We just have to go in and do what we can to make things safe,” he says.

Tohiariki says it was “like a horror movie” when the storm took hold around lunchtime today. “It was warm and sunny, then everything went black and it absolutely exploded,” he says.

Winds were still gusting at between 50km/hr and 70km/hr, with the highest recorded today understood to have reached 167kmhr.

He was concerned for his staff with debris flying through the air. “We had flying roofing iron, some sheets a couple of hundred metres in the air, like paper. That’s got to land somewhere and is potentially very dangerous.”

Tohiariki says it’s been “all hands on deck” all over Southland with multiple power outages throughout the day all over the province.

Many areas are still understood to be without power, possibly until tomorrow, with power company staff under the pump to deliver once conditions eased.

Tohiariki is warning against travel unless it’s absolutely necessary. “We still have roofs that will be weak and loosened, and big trees unstable too, with more potential wind gusts tonight,” he says. “Stay away from the wind and iron and stay indoors.”

He’s warning rubberneckers not to go snooping around town as it’s too dangerous.

“We have a lot of lines down that staff won’t have even been able to get to yet. We’re cordoning those areas off and assume they’re live,” he says.

People need to be patient, and help will be on the way.

Vegetation fires have also restarted from old fires that are flaring up after the wind has whipped up old piles of wood, so people need to beware.

FENZ assistant national commander Ken Cooper says by 5pm the number of Southland callouts had topped 228 from the first at 11.55am when the storm hit. Of those 155 were in Invercargill.

"Again, this is for things like roofs lifting, trees down, power lines down, garage doors, fences and sheds blowing away,” he says.

Southland is definitely not out of the woods yet with multiple power outages affecting hundreds of households all over the province. Many households still without power and potentially a lot of businesses.

Power company staff are understood to have been unable to get out into some affected areas until conditions improved later this afternoon with the still strong gusty conditions proving too dangerous in some areas.

Resthomes are also understood to have been affected by power outages, and it’s believed emergency services have been working with healthcare staff on emergency plans.

Emergency services say it’s a big job and while Powernet is prioritising connections it’s understood it could be a few days before power is restored to some areas.

Emergency Management Southland controller Lucy Hicks says the Met Service Red Wind Warning has been lifted, but there are reports of widespread damage across the region to homes, buildings and roads.

“There are trees and powerlines down across the lower South Island, and road closure signs are limited due to the wind.”

“Power is still unavailable across large parts of Southland. Tonight, we encourage people to stay put, stay warm and dry. This might mean staying with friends, family or neighbours.”

PowerNet are prioritising staff and public safety, addressing the live powerlines, and will be restoring power as swiftly as they can once any damage has been assessed.

“If you notice damage to lines or other electricity equipment – do not approach it,” she says. Please call Powernet ASAP – 0800 808 587. Restoring power will be prioritised to critical services.

If you’re concerned for your safety, please call 111. If you have damage to your property, please reach out to your insurer and/or landlord.

“It is expected the recovery from this weather event will go on longer than the incident itself, with power, water and communication outages expected to continue across the next couple of days,” Hicks says.

Keep an eye on your council’s Facebook page and websites. Keep up to date with the latest weather forecast www.metservice.com/warnings

FENZ advice:

"During and after a storm treat all fallen power lines as live.

"If the power is out use torches rather than candles, if possible. If you must use candles, keep them away from curtains and other flammable objects. Never leave a candle burning in an empty room.

"If you are using camp cookers or alternative forms of heating, always make sure they are on a stable surface. Do not use outdoor cooking or heating equipment inside."