Twelve people were injured, according to the Zeeland Security Region. A man has been taken to hospital. Police are urging people to stay indoors. An NL Alert was also sent for this at 2.30 pm. “Stay out of the area and give the emergency services space,” the call reads.
Local residents say the mini-tornado left a trail of destruction within two minutes. “It was a hard blow and it happened within two minutes.” Chimneys have blown off houses and roofs have collapsed from the harbor to the Malta district. It is not yet clear how many injured there are. A possible victim was searched for for a long time after a rumor that someone was still missing.
Police are calling on residents to stay indoors as roof tiles may still fall on the street. The weather above Zierikzee is still restless and there may be more showers on the way. “There are many people who go to the area to watch or help, this hinders the emergency services and can be dangerous due to hanging branches, roof tiles,” the VRZ reports.
The tornado crossed Schouwen-Duiveland around noon. In Zierikzee, roofs of five houses were blown and trees fell. A house on Calandweg partially collapsed. Firefighters and other emergency services then turned out en masse.
There are debris everywhere in De Kanterlaan. Trees have fallen down on Havenplein and Havenpark. The terrace of cafe de Banjaard on the Nieuwe Haven is in disarray. People came running out of their houses in shock. The biggest damage is on the Calandweg. The roofs of several houses were blown off.
The whirlwind was first seen near Burghsluis. After that, it was also photographed and filmed several times above Zierikzee. In addition to the whirlwind, fierce rain and thunderstorms also passed over Zeeland. The fire brigade and ambulance have been deployed in Zierikzee to assess the damage. Rescuers are taking care of the injured. The Safety Region has announced grip 2.
What is a tornado?
According to Weeronline, there was a ‘weak’ tornado in Zierikzee. “A tornado can best be seen as a whirlwind of a few tens to a few hundred meters wide. It is often visible as a ‘trunk’ under a storm, because water vapor condenses in the vortex or because material is lifted from the earth’s surface.”
A tornado is formed under a severe thunderstorm. There are two important things that increase the chance of a tornado forming. It takes a big difference in wind in the bottom (few) kilometers. This can be in both direction and speed. In addition, the cloud base (the height of the bottom of the storm cloud) must be low.
Tornado graded in scale of 0-5
Tornadoes are classified according to the Enhanced Fujita Scale. This scale runs from EF0 to EF5. The scale is based on the occurring damage to building structures.
The lifespan of a tornado is usually best expressed in minutes. A very powerful one sometimes lasts for several hours.
Previous tornadoes in the Netherlands
Every year 1-3 tornadoes occur in the Netherlands. Some particularly heavy tornadoes crossed the country on June 25, 1967. Two people were killed and 10 injured at a campsite in Chaam (North Brabant). In Tricht (in the Betuwe) five people lost their lives and dozens were injured.
On August 17, 1992 a tornado crossed Ameland. One person died and five people were injured at a campsite near the town of Nes.
The most filmed and photographed tornado in the Netherlands was the tornado in Amsterdam on August 9, 2019. This weak tornado (windstorm) also passed over the IJ and caused little damage.
Tags: death minitornado SchouwenDuiveland war zone Zeeland news
