As Nanjing is battered by the side effects of the tornado that struck eastern Jiangsu on Thursday last week, so the soul searching job of clearing up continues in the towns of Yizheng and Gaoyu.
In a stark contrast to what mother nature had thrown their way just a few days prior, clear blue skies are accompanying relief efforts, after the tornado barrelled through the area, killing 98 and injuring almost 900 people.The number of casualties is expected to rise further as the wreckage of buildings is combed.
More than 500 houses and 67 hectares of farmland were damaged during the EF/F rated 4 storm that also destroyed electrical and other utility infrastructure. The Enhanced Fujita scale (EF-Scale) rates the intensity of tornadoes, with wind speeds of 267-322 km per hour for a category 4 storm.
Witness reported seeing the powerful tornado snapping trees in half and demolishing houses right down to their foundations.
Being close to the sea, it is also far from the first time the area has been devastatingly struck in this way. Almost three years ago to the day, 49 people were injured and 400 homes damaged in parts of Gaoyu when a tornado passed by. The latest disaster comes after a week of torrential rains that have battered southern China, displacing 200 thousand people and causing up to ¥3 billion in damage. The cause of the tornado has been blamed on the El Niño weather pheononemon.
