uMkhanyakude District disaster teams on high alert in anticipation of tropical cyclone Eloise
While Zululand could experience the remnants of Eloise, there is another weather system moving up from the south which is expected to bring rain and strong winds
WHILE all eyes are on tropical cyclone Eloise and how she will affect the northern reaches of KZN, another weather system is making its way up the coast from the Eastern Cape, which could cause strong winds and rain along the Zululand coastal region.
Last (Thursday) night, KZN Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC Sipho Hlomuka placed disaster management teams in uMkhanyakude District on high alert in anticipation of tropical cyclone Eloise making landfall in Mozambique and potentially causing strong winds and flooding in the northern KZN district.
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This move follows reports received from the South African Weather Service (SAWS) indicating the possibility of heavy rains in northern parts of KZN on Sunday.
While Eloise is expected to make landfall in Mozambique tomorrow as an intense tropical cyclone, once she hits land, she will begin to weaken, potentially reducing the intensity of the storms in KZN.
Communities in low-lying areas have been urged to be on high alert.
A fire officer based in uMkhanyakude District said, while the district could potentially be affected by strong winds and heavy rains as a result of Eloise, the system making its way up the east coast of South Africa, from the Eastern Cape, will have more of an effect on the Zululand region than Eloise will.
‘Eloise is going to hit Beira (Mozambique) head-on, hitting it as a full-blown cyclone,’ he said.
‘As she goes overland she’ll break down into a tropical storm and then a tropical depression to end up in the Limpopo valley. We could feel the remnants of that down to Richards Bay.
‘I can expect that we are going to get quite a bit of rain, some areas getting more than others, but it will be interesting to see what pans out on the day.
‘As the cyclone moves through, the system moving up the east coast from the Cape will move upwards along our coastline, and I think that’s where all the wind is going to come from.’
As Eloise moved further north yesterday, the winds predicted for Sodwana Bay have decreased from 95km/h to 65km/h.
