Friday, March 19, 2010

Strong winds.. ( bbc)

Strong winds blow roof off block of flats


A family have been forced out of their flat in Perth in the middle of the night, after high winds blew off part of the roof.

They were sleeping in their apartment on the top floor of a modern block of flats in Tay Street at the time.

Winds caused severe damage to the roof over the gable end of the building at about midnight.

Police have closed off Tay Street, between Marshall Place and Canal Street - and diversions are in place.

Structural engineers are expected to examine the damage. No other flats were affected.

The family is now staying with relatives.

A spokesman for Tayside Police said: "The roof was ripped off quite a modern block of flats and damaged a number of cars. There were very strong winds at the time.

"A fairly significant portion of the roof had been torn off."

Significant traffic disruption would continue in the city centre during the day, he added.

Wind speeds in Perthshire reached 51mph (82km/h) overnight.