God Throws Roofs at Cars

God Throws Roofs at Cars

In the wake of the storm that bolted through Dunedin last week, the Dunedin City Council has deemed the large amounts of damage caused to nearby cars by parts of its buildings flying off “an act of God.”

One victim, reported in the Otago Daily Times, was Uil Ludemann, whose car was damaged by iron sheets torn loose from the Council’s building at 20 Parry Street. Ludemann, who only had third party insurance for the vehicle, claimed that the total cost of the damage was more than the value of the car itself.

On approaching the Council, Ludemann was told that the damage, primarily the result of materials being lifted loose by strong winds, was caused by an “act of God” and was therefore not its responsibility. The Council’s response has lead to an outbreak of comments castigating the DCC for not taking responsibility for a preventable occurrence.

One online commenter questioned the DCC’s apparent belief in religion, stating that “I would think in this day and age that the DCC would know the difference between reality and fantasy.”

DCC Communications and Marketing Manager Graham McKerracher told Critic that the damage was the result of “gale force winds,” which reportedly reached 140km per hour in Dunedin.

McKerracher also stated that most owners of vehicles damaged by the winds had insurance and had contacted their own insurance companies. Those with only third party insurance, like Ludemann, have since been referred to the Council’s own insurance company.

Another online troll suggested that “surely the problem here is that the roof was not bolted on well enough for foreseeable weather conditions – not something that can be blamed on a god.” McKerracher, however, confirmed that the building met the required standards.

The troll continued, “of course if the DCC has stopped paying for insurance so it could afford the rugby stadium, they are not insured for this sort of thing.” Clearly, Dunedin residents have not lost the urge to blame every regional problem on the Stadium.

Comparatively, Dunedin was let off lightly by the spring storm. More severe damage occurred elsewhere in the South Island, with trees uprooted and boats blown away.
This article first appeared in Issue 23, 2013.
Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Bella Macdonald.