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Peter Matika, Senior Life Reporter
RENOWNED Zimbabwean gospel singer Shingisai Suluma, based in the United States of America, recently survived a severe tornado that struck the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
She marked herself as safe on her Facebook account on 8 February, probably to notify her family, friends and fans when the tornado struck.
America’s National Weather Service confirmed that the severe damage in New Orleans East was indicative of an EF-3 tornado — the strongest reported in the city since recordkeeping began in 1950.
It was reported that survey crews from the Weather Service graded the tornado as EF-3 on the enhanced Fujita scale, which means the wind speed reached 136 to 165 miles per hour.
That’s a severe category; the strongest is an EF-5 tornado with three-second wind gusts of more than 200 miles per hour.
According to the weather site, at least 33 injuries were reported in the New Orleans area, after the tornado hit neighbourhoods around Chef Menteur Highway, amid an outbreak of several tornadoes across South Louisiana.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s office Wednesday said 300 structures were severely damaged over the 2 to 2,5 mile tornado path.
Two injuries were also reported on the North Shore and nine injuries occurred in the Baton Rouge area, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said.
New Orleans has always had a history of being severely devastated by natural weather elements such as tornados.
The award-winning gospel sensation has been based in the US for the past few years.
She, however, could not immediately be reached for comment by the time of going to press.
Suluma, one of Zimbabwe’s top gospel singers, was once reported saying her musical career may never have happened without the persistence of her parents.
“My parents were musically-inclined, they both sang in church. My sister and I would find ourselves also being made to sing.
When you are from a musical family, they want you to follow that and we found ourselves doing hours and hours of rehearsals at home, and singing in church on Sunday whether we liked it or not.
I was around six or seven years when I would get up and sing in church. Now, seeing what music has done for me, I am thankful and appreciative of my parents’ persistence,” she said.
Bongani Ndlovu