Analysing the impact of and response to the 2019 tornado in Harry Gwala District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
This study aims to analyse the impact of and response to the 2019 tornado disaster in Harry Gwala District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. To achieve this aim, this research utilized mixed research methods to collect and analyse data. Questionnaires were used to collect data from households while structured interviews were used to gather information from municipal officials. Data was analysed through SPSS and a thematic approach. The findings show that in terms of the occurrence and distribution of tornado disasters in Harry Gwala District Municipality between 1989 and 2019, the most affected municipalities were NDZ and UMzimkhulu. Regarding the socio-economic impacts of the 2019 tornado in the study area, it was discovered that the uMzimkhulu and uBuhlebezwe municipalities had the most adversely affected households because of mud building material used by many households in these municipalities. In terms of coping strategies, the research found that people have no awareness regarding their respective disaster management offices, hence their immediate response was to call their councillors. Concerning the government response, there was a collaboration between all relevant stakeholders from the public and private sectors. The relief provided to households included food parcels and blankets, however, road and network infrastructure were reported to be a challenge, delaying this provision. The results on community perceptions indicate that a large proportion of respondents believed that the tornado was caused by iNkanyamba while others believed that it was caused by God’s anger, only a few understood that it was a result of climatological conditions. This research suggests the disaster management centre should invest in research on these incidences so that they are well documented and understood. It is also suggested that housing development should also be implemented in rural areas and there is a need for continuous community workshops to educate people on natural disasters and effective response strategies.
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