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14 June 2024
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KZN tornado and severe weather events in Eastern Cape and Free State classified as a national disaster
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In KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) alone, 12 people lost their lives, more than 7 000 homes were damaged and 1 200 homeless families are receiving humanitarian aid. The tornado also destroyed or damaged schools, roads, bridges, community halls and electricity infrastructure. The tornado that smashed through residential areas north of Durban on Monday, 3 June 2024, was found to be a rare and particularly destructive event of its kind that only occurs every decade or so in South Africa. It was among several incidents that led to the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) classifying the severe weather events in the Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal as a National Disaster.
Last week’s floods, strong winds, tornadoes and snowfalls resulted in devastation across the three provinces and caused deaths, injuries, significant property damage, extensive damage to infrastructure and environmental degradation.
Communities were left reeling, with thousands displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance. The declaration comes as the KZN government on Wednesday announced that more than R1,3-billion was needed to deal with the damage in the province.
Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, Dr Elias Sithole, said the scale of the incidents had surpassed the capacity of the affected communities to manage the disaster using their resources and as such, the centre had classified the situation as a national disaster due to its impact on at least three provinces, as per Section 23(6) of the Disaster Management Act.
This signifies a formal recognition from the Government that the events pose a significant threat to health, public safety or the environment, which municipal and provincial governments cannot address on their own.
The primary responsibility for coordinating and managing this disaster now falls under the national executive, which will use legislation and contingency plans to deal with the crisis.
The classification has been effective since 5 June 2024 and notifications have been sent to the affected provinces. An official notice has also been published in the Government Gazette. The classification will be followed by the declaration of disaster, by CoGTA Minister Thembi Nkadimeng. Minister Nkadimeng said the intention was to ensure lives and livelihoods were being protected. To this effect, the rest of Government was mobilised to provide relief to the affected communities.
Dr Sithole urged all state organs to provide additional support to existing institutions to implement contingency plans and ensure measures were in place to enable the national government to deal with the disaster’s ramifications. “The NDMC urges all citizens in the affected areas to follow safety guidelines and directives from local authorities. The Centre is committed to working collaboratively with provincial and national bodies to ensure a swift and effective response to mitigate the impact of these disasters,” Dr Sithole said.
Dr Sithole said that the process was under way for the mobilisation of resources from all existing funding avenues within relevant organs of state across the spheres – this included risk transfer measures/insurance and donor support. “A determination on the available funds will be made as soon as all the information is available and this includes a decision on the funding of shortfalls, if any,” he said.
He said disaster funding was available and the amount would be confirmed after all the processes and assessments had been completed.
Destructive decennial tornado
KZN is no stranger to increasingly severe weather events but last week’s tornado left a trail of destruction in its wake.
Twelve people lost their lives, more than 7 000 homes were damaged and 1 200 homeless families are receiving humanitarian aid. The tornado also destroyed or damaged schools, roads, bridges, community halls and electricity infrastructure.
While relief and repair efforts ramp up, Siboniso Mngadi from the KZN Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department said that “at this stage, the estimated cost of damage amounts to over R1,3-billion for the entire province, with eThekwini Metro alone accounting for over R480-million.”
Since the storm, NGOs, disaster response organisations like Gift of the Givers, volunteers, private donors, social enterprises and the government have been on the ground assisting victims to rebuild their lives.
On Wednesday, the National Department of Human Settlements delivered the first batch of building materials for some 674 households at eMagwaveni in Tongaat, the area hardest hit in KZN, having experienced a “wedge” tornado and a “supercell” thunderstorm.
The Home Affairs Department also set up mobile offices at the eMagwaveni shelter to assist people who had lost their identity documents. These mobile offices will be moved to all shelters to ensure that no one is left behind.
SASSA has conducted more than 3 400 assessments for food vouchers, more than 2 000 hot meals have been supplied daily since 4 June, and more than 1 200 mattresses and 1 700 blankets have been distributed.
Tornados not uncommon in SA
The SA Weather Service explained that a series of severe thunderstorms formed late on the morning of 3 June 2024 along the border of the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal ahead of a well-developed cut-off low weather system over the western interior of the country.
The cold, dry air sweeping in from the west clashed with the warm, moist atmospheric conditions in the east, particularly KZN, creating the ideal conditions for severe thunderstorms.
In addition, a strong, low-level change in wind speeds and direction was present over KZN’s coast ahead of the line of thunderstorms. This contributed significantly to the development of “supercell” thunderstorms and tornadoes, SAWS said. “A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that develops from the cloud base of a severe thunderstorm and extends to the ground. Most tornadoes develop from strong and violent thunderstorms called ‘supercell’ thunderstorms. Tornadoes are the most formidable windstorms on Earth and unleash devastating destruction along their trajectories. Tornadoes typically form in environments where certain atmospheric conditions come together. Contrary to popular belief, tornadoes are more common in South Africa than what is generally perceived, although the probability of them occurring is still very low. Most tornadoes in the previous century (1905-1999) occurred over the eastern provinces, especially around Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.”
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale is one of the tools to classify tornadic events and assigns a rating to a tornado based on estimated wind speeds inferred from observed damage by utilising various indicators.
SAWS said most tornadoes in South Africa were weak, with a low EF rating of 0 to 2, while stronger and more destructive tornadoes (EF3 and EF4) occurred every decade or so. They concluded that the Tongaat tornado was rated EF3, with wind speeds of 225-265km/h. “One of the highest-rated tornadoes in South African recorded history was the Welkom tornado of 20 March 1990, rated as an F4 on the Fujita scale, resulting in damage to 4 000 homes, and was one of the costliest in history. In 1999, an F4 tornado struck Mount Ayliff. This tornado threw cars and trucks into the air and left 95 percent of the population in the area homeless,” SAWS stated.
On Tuesday, 4 June 2024, SAWS said that at least two tornadoes had been confirmed in KwaZulu-Natal the previous day.
One was a “wedge” tornado, (so called because it is wider and larger than it is tall) that resulted in severe damage in Tongaat and an analysis of the Durban radar data revealed several features that indicated a “supercell” thunderstorm.
“At least two thunderstorms could be classified as supercell thunderstorms, while another, despite exhibiting supercell characteristics, did not persist long enough to meet the required time criterion. A supercell thunderstorm is a severe type of thunderstorm that contains a rotating updraft (rising air) and can be identified using a weather radar with characteristic features such as the hook echo on the reflectivity field and a rotational signature (mesocyclone) on the Doppler velocity field,” SAWS said.
SAWS added that such thunderstorms are also known to produce tornadoes at times. The thunderstorm that passed over Tongaat and produced a tornado was confirmed to be a supercell, with a hook echo, although it did lack the typical rotational signature on the Doppler velocity field due to various limitations of the radar data.
Frequency of extreme weather events
It is known that climate change is causing the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and calls have repeatedly been made to establish reliable early-warning systems and strengthen disaster-management facilities.
An article by the Institute for Security Studies in 2021 found that urban South Africa was ill-prepared for the coming climate-change effects and that more weather disasters – with rapidly increasing informal settlements, poor land use and inadequate infrastructure – would cause significant losses.
While South Africa has an early-warning system in place, it has limitations, some being that warnings issued by SAWS are not always strong enough; that not enough communities take action from the warnings and that urban planning and infrastructure development have been slow to incorporate climate change adaptation into their practice.
Source: Daily Maverick
Last week’s floods, strong winds, tornadoes and snowfalls resulted in devastation across the three provinces and caused deaths, injuries, significant property damage, extensive damage to infrastructure and environmental degradation.
Communities were left reeling, with thousands displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance. The declaration comes as the KZN government on Wednesday announced that more than R1,3-billion was needed to deal with the damage in the province.
Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, Dr Elias Sithole, said the scale of the incidents had surpassed the capacity of the affected communities to manage the disaster using their resources and as such, the centre had classified the situation as a national disaster due to its impact on at least three provinces, as per Section 23(6) of the Disaster Management Act.
This signifies a formal recognition from the Government that the events pose a significant threat to health, public safety or the environment, which municipal and provincial governments cannot address on their own.
The primary responsibility for coordinating and managing this disaster now falls under the national executive, which will use legislation and contingency plans to deal with the crisis.
The classification has been effective since 5 June 2024 and notifications have been sent to the affected provinces. An official notice has also been published in the Government Gazette. The classification will be followed by the declaration of disaster, by CoGTA Minister Thembi Nkadimeng. Minister Nkadimeng said the intention was to ensure lives and livelihoods were being protected. To this effect, the rest of Government was mobilised to provide relief to the affected communities.
Dr Sithole urged all state organs to provide additional support to existing institutions to implement contingency plans and ensure measures were in place to enable the national government to deal with the disaster’s ramifications. “The NDMC urges all citizens in the affected areas to follow safety guidelines and directives from local authorities. The Centre is committed to working collaboratively with provincial and national bodies to ensure a swift and effective response to mitigate the impact of these disasters,” Dr Sithole said.
Dr Sithole said that the process was under way for the mobilisation of resources from all existing funding avenues within relevant organs of state across the spheres – this included risk transfer measures/insurance and donor support. “A determination on the available funds will be made as soon as all the information is available and this includes a decision on the funding of shortfalls, if any,” he said.
He said disaster funding was available and the amount would be confirmed after all the processes and assessments had been completed.
Destructive decennial tornado
KZN is no stranger to increasingly severe weather events but last week’s tornado left a trail of destruction in its wake.
Twelve people lost their lives, more than 7 000 homes were damaged and 1 200 homeless families are receiving humanitarian aid. The tornado also destroyed or damaged schools, roads, bridges, community halls and electricity infrastructure.
While relief and repair efforts ramp up, Siboniso Mngadi from the KZN Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department said that “at this stage, the estimated cost of damage amounts to over R1,3-billion for the entire province, with eThekwini Metro alone accounting for over R480-million.”
Since the storm, NGOs, disaster response organisations like Gift of the Givers, volunteers, private donors, social enterprises and the government have been on the ground assisting victims to rebuild their lives.
On Wednesday, the National Department of Human Settlements delivered the first batch of building materials for some 674 households at eMagwaveni in Tongaat, the area hardest hit in KZN, having experienced a “wedge” tornado and a “supercell” thunderstorm.
The Home Affairs Department also set up mobile offices at the eMagwaveni shelter to assist people who had lost their identity documents. These mobile offices will be moved to all shelters to ensure that no one is left behind.
SASSA has conducted more than 3 400 assessments for food vouchers, more than 2 000 hot meals have been supplied daily since 4 June, and more than 1 200 mattresses and 1 700 blankets have been distributed.
Tornados not uncommon in SA
The SA Weather Service explained that a series of severe thunderstorms formed late on the morning of 3 June 2024 along the border of the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal ahead of a well-developed cut-off low weather system over the western interior of the country.
The cold, dry air sweeping in from the west clashed with the warm, moist atmospheric conditions in the east, particularly KZN, creating the ideal conditions for severe thunderstorms.
In addition, a strong, low-level change in wind speeds and direction was present over KZN’s coast ahead of the line of thunderstorms. This contributed significantly to the development of “supercell” thunderstorms and tornadoes, SAWS said. “A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that develops from the cloud base of a severe thunderstorm and extends to the ground. Most tornadoes develop from strong and violent thunderstorms called ‘supercell’ thunderstorms. Tornadoes are the most formidable windstorms on Earth and unleash devastating destruction along their trajectories. Tornadoes typically form in environments where certain atmospheric conditions come together. Contrary to popular belief, tornadoes are more common in South Africa than what is generally perceived, although the probability of them occurring is still very low. Most tornadoes in the previous century (1905-1999) occurred over the eastern provinces, especially around Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.”
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale is one of the tools to classify tornadic events and assigns a rating to a tornado based on estimated wind speeds inferred from observed damage by utilising various indicators.
SAWS said most tornadoes in South Africa were weak, with a low EF rating of 0 to 2, while stronger and more destructive tornadoes (EF3 and EF4) occurred every decade or so. They concluded that the Tongaat tornado was rated EF3, with wind speeds of 225-265km/h. “One of the highest-rated tornadoes in South African recorded history was the Welkom tornado of 20 March 1990, rated as an F4 on the Fujita scale, resulting in damage to 4 000 homes, and was one of the costliest in history. In 1999, an F4 tornado struck Mount Ayliff. This tornado threw cars and trucks into the air and left 95 percent of the population in the area homeless,” SAWS stated.
On Tuesday, 4 June 2024, SAWS said that at least two tornadoes had been confirmed in KwaZulu-Natal the previous day.
One was a “wedge” tornado, (so called because it is wider and larger than it is tall) that resulted in severe damage in Tongaat and an analysis of the Durban radar data revealed several features that indicated a “supercell” thunderstorm.
“At least two thunderstorms could be classified as supercell thunderstorms, while another, despite exhibiting supercell characteristics, did not persist long enough to meet the required time criterion. A supercell thunderstorm is a severe type of thunderstorm that contains a rotating updraft (rising air) and can be identified using a weather radar with characteristic features such as the hook echo on the reflectivity field and a rotational signature (mesocyclone) on the Doppler velocity field,” SAWS said.
SAWS added that such thunderstorms are also known to produce tornadoes at times. The thunderstorm that passed over Tongaat and produced a tornado was confirmed to be a supercell, with a hook echo, although it did lack the typical rotational signature on the Doppler velocity field due to various limitations of the radar data.
Frequency of extreme weather events
It is known that climate change is causing the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and calls have repeatedly been made to establish reliable early-warning systems and strengthen disaster-management facilities.
An article by the Institute for Security Studies in 2021 found that urban South Africa was ill-prepared for the coming climate-change effects and that more weather disasters – with rapidly increasing informal settlements, poor land use and inadequate infrastructure – would cause significant losses.
While South Africa has an early-warning system in place, it has limitations, some being that warnings issued by SAWS are not always strong enough; that not enough communities take action from the warnings and that urban planning and infrastructure development have been slow to incorporate climate change adaptation into their practice.
Source: Daily Maverick
