Calls for stronger national disaster preparedness are growing following a hailstorm that damaged homes and infrastructure in Masvingo, with Chegutu West MP, Shackmore Timburwa, urging the government to strengthen its capacity to respond to extreme weather events.
More than 60 houses reportedly lost their roofs while vehicles, windows, solar panels and other property were damaged after a hailstorm and heavy rains battered Masvingo on Monday evening.
The storm, which struck shortly after 5pm, also triggered flash flooding in several parts of the city, leaving some families without shelter.
Rising on a point of national interest in Parliament on Tuesday, Timburwa said the damage should prompt the government to assess the country’s disaster preparedness and response systems before more severe weather events occur.
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“Homes were damaged, property was destroyed, infrastructure was affected and families were left exposed. This must not be treated as just another weather incident. It raises a bigger question. How prepared are we as a nation before disaster strikes?” asked the legislator.
Timburwa pointed to Cyclone Idai, which struck Zimbabwe in 2019 and devastated communities in Manicaland, particularly Chimanimani and Chipinge, as evidence of the potentially devastating consequences of extreme weather events.
“We have been here before. Chimanimani Cyclone Idai took lives, destroyed homes, cut off communities and damaged critical infrastructure. That tragedy must remain in our national memory, not only as something we mourned, but as something we learnt from,” he said.
He called for stronger early warning systems and greater capacity within the Civil Protection Department, as well as measures to ensure emergency shelters and resources are available before disasters occur.
“We may not be able to stop every storm, but we can strengthen our early warning systems, we can strengthen the Civil Protection Department, we can prepare emergency shelters, we can protect critical infrastructure and we can position resources before disasters come,” Timburwa said.
He also urged the government to provide urgent assistance to families affected by the Masvingo hailstorm and conduct a comprehensive assessment of the damage.
“I therefore call upon our government to urgently assist affected families in Masvingo, assess the damage and continue strengthening our national disaster preparedness capacity because Chimanimani was a warning. Masvingo is a gentle reminder and preparedness must become part of our national culture,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has warned that Zimbabwe could continue experiencing storms as temperatures are expected to rise.
Speaking during CITE’s This Morning on Asakhe on Wednesday, MSD meteorologist Gamuchirai Vhumisai, said the Masvingo hailstorm resulted from a combination of cooler south-easterly winds, moisture entering the country and high temperatures recorded before the weather system developed.
“We had a system which was bringing in those cooler south-easterlies from the east due to the pressure rise over the southeast of South Africa. And then we had moisture which was also drifting into the country from Botswana, through the western areas and the middle levels over the country. They were conducive for the production of a lot of heavy rains,” Vhumisai said.
He said the high temperatures experienced before the storm contributed to atmospheric instability, increasing the intensity of the weather system.
“Before this system, we were having a lot of heat. It was very hot, I’m sure everyone can confirm. So, all of that was more or less an accumulation of a very high radiative influx,” he said.
“The combination of radiative influx as well as the presence of moisture normally spikes or results in the intensity or the strength of the storms increasing. That’s why there were a lot of hailstones coming into the country because the atmosphere was very unstable,” Vhumisai said.
The weather system affected several parts of the country, including Masvingo, Matabeleland South, Bulawayo, southern parts of the Midlands and Manicaland.
Several areas recorded significant rainfall, with Masvingo receiving 56 millimetres.
“We had Gweru-Nkayi recording as much as 63 millimetres in 24 hours and we had Zaka having as much as 58 millimetres, Kwekwe and Bulawayo Airport receiving as much as 44 millimetres, as well as Matopos also receiving 40 millimetres,” Vhumisai said.
He said rainfall exceeding 50 millimetres could increase the risk of flooding, particularly as the country moves further into the rainy season.
“The threshold for the intensity of these rainfall amounts normally, when rainfall exceeds 50 millimetres, there’s potential for flooding,” he said.
Vhumisai said the MSD would continue issuing warnings and advisories when weather systems capable of producing heavy rainfall affect the country.
“As we move into the season, we are not ruling out the occurrence of these storms because temperatures are expected to increase from today going onwards. When there’s a lot of moisture or a system bringing in moisture into the country, we will also issue warnings and advisories to the public,” he said.
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