NATIONAL NEWS - Homes were left damaged and people were evacuated in areas north of Durban when a tornado clearly shown in video footage and photographs passed through parts of the area on Tuesday.
KwaZulu-Natal EMS spokesperson Robert McKenzie said areas north of Durban in Inanda and Idube were affected by a tornado.
He said paramedics treated two patients in the area for minor injuries and took them to hospital.
They were in a container which overturned during the incident. There is quite extensive infrastructure damage to roofs on buildings, as well as power cables in the area.
KZN VIP Paramedics said it deployed two ambulances to drive around the area to assist anyone who may be hurt.
We are trying to get people out of their homes as most of them have suffered extensive damage. Inanda is large so we can’t be sure at this point how many homes have been damaged,” said KZN VIP Paramedics spokesperson Gareth Naidoo.
In videos shared on social media, residents of Inanda are heard pleading for assistance, while some homes were partially damaged and tin roofs were hanging on power lines.
SAWS
However, the South African Weather Services (Saws) said it had not received any information on a tornado yet.
Saws forecaster Odirile Modipa said: “No warnings were issued for a tornado. The only time a tornado may form over the Phoenix/Inanda area is if a super-cell was present.
A super-cell is a slow moving area of updraught and downdraught, which causes violent thunderstorms, heavy hail and tornadoes.
eThekwini Municipality
The eThekwini Municipality said it had set up an emergency joint operations team to coordinate the response to the heavy winds and rains that have pummelled some parts of the PINK area (Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu) and Folweni.
City head of communications Lindiwe Khuzwayo said emergency and rescue teams had been dispatched to both areas to assess the extent of the damage and to render assistance to families.
“The joint operations team will coordinate assistance such as machinery to move debris. A search and rescue team is also being deployed to affected areas. Disaster and emergency teams will be in the area until all affected residents are safely accommodated,” she said.
Cogta
The KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) had earlier in the day warned communities, particularly those residing on the South Coast, of heavy rains that may result in flooding.
The heavy rains are anticipated to persist from Tuesday through Wednesday morning. While the eThekwini Metro, along with the coastal areas, will experience widespread showers and thundershowers, the intensity will be moderate, with scattered rainfall.
“Margate and Port Edward have already reported rainfall measurements of 89 mm and 49 mm respectively since Monday. However, weather models indicate that additional rainfall is expected over the Ugu District Municipality, gradually subsiding early on Thursday,” said Cogta spokesperson Sboniso Mngadi.
The African National Congress (ANC) in KZN said it was in constant contact with the MEC for Cogta, Bongi Sithole-Moloi, and the MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works, Sipho K.K Nkosi, to ensure people displaced by the destructive weather were safe.
Our hearts are with the affected communities during this period. The ravaging tornado brings home the fact that extreme weather patterns continue to have devastating effects on KwaZulu-Natal and Durban in particular.
“Accordingly, we have mandated the MECs and the mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Mxolisi Kaunda, to respond with a high sense of urgency and assist the affected families,” said provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo.
Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen
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