STALYBRIDGE TORNADO: Resident left a 'recluse' and 'traumatised' by freak storm

A Stalybridge resident who was caught up in the tornado which damaged more than 100 homes has said the freak storm has left him afraid to leave the house.

Alex Warner believes the cataclysmic events which saw 100-mile-an-hour winds tear up trees and damage homes has left him traumatised.

Mr Warner, of Milton Avenue, Millbrook, said: "I honestly think I now have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I am paranoid of the tornado wreaking havoc again.

"When the tornado struck, from my front room window  I could see the ferocity of the high  winds, the sheer speed at which hailstones were hurled to the ground, along with loud booming thunderclaps and streaks of lightning, greatly alarmed and unsettled me.

"Seeing a local road cordoned off because a tree was uprooted by the force of the tornado, then missing the house by a matter of inches, for me, is a scary experience. When out shopping, I cannot walk across the park because two or three trees were uprooted and flung across by the fury of the elements.

"Most folk will say, 'get over it. freak weather conditions. It will pass', but that does not reassure me at all.

"I am over sensitive, and nature, while being beautiful, can be brutal, violent, and dangerous, and that increases my personal insecurity.  I find I really struggle to cope. No one can tell with certainty how our weather will be, especially given how global warming has brought about new dangers for us.

"As daft as it sounds,  I am scared of it all happening again, I don't trust the weather, I don't always trust the weather forecast. There has to be a way through this. I do need to hang onto my faith in God and  shall try my best to find a way to keep going. My problem is I tend to be reclusive and don't go out much, preferring to stay at home."

Meanwhile, it has been revealed Tameside's Council's tornado helpline has had more than 1,000 calls in a week.

Help and advice is available on 0161 342 2222.