Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Washington-Slagbaai National Park Open As Usual After Brief Touchdown by Whirlwind

This morning at about 7:00 AM, an unusual weather phenomenon occurred near the entrance of Washington-Slagbaai National Park, when a whirlwind briefly touched down.  Chief Park Ranger, George “Cultura” Thode, noticed the strange, red clouds forming about 6:00 AM, moving in from the northeast, and, having seen this type of weather before, was able to sound the alarm so that local inhabitants had notice of the impending situation.

The cloud did “bounce” off the island briefly just at the entrance to the park, causing some damage to man-made structures.  The roof of the terrace was blown off, and there was minimal roof damage to the museum as a few tiles were blown away.  The debris from the terrace roof was scattered for about 100 meters (about 300 feet), including over the roadway.  Tourists from North America who had arrived early with the intention of touring the park joined STINAPA staff and residents from Rincon in immediately clearing the debris and thus reopening the road within hours of the event. 

The park is open as usual today, the debris has been removed from the park, and STINAPA is happy to report that there has been absolutely no damage to the natural areas of the park.  The skeleton of the Bryde’s Whale, on exhibit in this area since October, 2005, was not materially damaged, receiving only two scratches from falling debris.  Visitors to the park may continue with any plans for near-term visits.

Although whirlwinds, also called vortexes, are unusual weather events in the region, they are not unheard of, most frequently developing over water in the form of waterspouts. (Source:  STINAPA)