South Africa ‘incapable’ of detecting tornadoes - meteorologist
A weather expert believes South Africa is not yet equipped to detect tornadoes.
Two twisters formed in KwaZulu-Natal during a powerful storm on Monday afternoon.
Nkosinathi Xulu, who is a meteorologist from the University of Zululand, says climate change has worsened normal weather phenomena.
"We had rainfall dumped in the Eastern Cape. Those systems move from west to east. As it moved from the Eastern Cape, it went over and covered parts of KZN. A tornado is an extension of a thunderstorm. There were three conditions which followed: the atmosphere was unstable, there were thunderstorms and a vortex."
READ: Clean-up efforts continue in storm-hit Tongaat
Xulu says there's a need for more education on climate change, especially in rural areas.
"If I say there will be a 90 per cent chance of rain, what does that mean to a rural person who doesn't have any form of education? Again our disaster management, do they have the necessary manpower to evacuate people? There is still a long way to go."
Xulu points out that a lack of expertise has led to homes being built in flood-prone areas.
He suggests including environmental practitioners in government to improve disaster response measures.
Meanwhile, families in tornado-hit Tongaat are still piecing back their lives in the wake on Monday afternoon’s devastating storm. Newswatch has been visiting affected areas. An emotional resident told Newswatch her sister and niece were hospitalised after their house crumbled around them. Listen below.
A homeowner in Seatide, La Mercy, describes what he heard when the tornado hit:
Ricky Narainsamy from Sandfield - one of the badly-affected areas - says they had to pull people to safety:
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