Catalyst reporter Dr Jonica Newby will present a story which features Kiama among its case studies.

The 20-minute segment will aim to explain how wind speed works and to put into context how powerful it can be, as well as what caused the tornadoes profiled.

Dr Newby was staying at her weekend home in Gerroa last February when the tornadoes lashed the municipality.

She was woken in the early hours of the morning by the weather, and was surprised by the unusual wind patterns that were hitting the area.

However, she didn't realise the extent of the damage until the next day.

"I found out the next day Kiama had been ripped apart by a tornado," she said.

"Being a science reporter I had that at the back of my mind [to feature it in a story] ... I didn't really know we got tornadoes of that scale in Kiama.

"When the weatherman comes on television, no-one really understands what 90 or 100 kilometres per hour means.

"I realised people have no concept of the power of the wind. There is a huge difference between 120 kilometres and 150 kilometres, for example."

Dr Newby also interviewed Kiama residents who were affected for the story.

The episode will air this Thursday at 8pm.