The residents of Empangeni are trying to pick up the pieces after a severe storm hit on Monday. The thunderstorms, accompanied by hail and wind, left a trail of destruction.
And for about half an hour, the families in Empangeni watched in horror as their community was ripped apart. One man was killed during the storm, and several others were injured.
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Many more are without shelter. Some people have been forced to sleep in their cars after their homes were washed away in floods. Their belongings and food are also lost.
Bongani Gina, uMhlathuze Municipality’s spokesperson, reveals that the damage extends to households, municipal buildings, a fire station and the Richards Bay Airport:
It bears noting that because of a number of trees that fell, teams may not cover all areas at once, so drivers are encouraged to drive with caution and be alert
A resident, Thomas Mthembu, lived with his wife and five children in a one-bedroom house. But now, reports EWN, their home is now roofless and inhabitable due to the storm:
The wind was strong with hailstorms. We tried even though we feared for our lives as the hail was very strong. We then hid ourselves in the cars
Mthembu told Eyewitness News that he and his family, are still waiting on authorities to ‘give clarity on the way forward’.
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Another resident, Zonita Grobbelaar, told East Coast Radio, that it within minutes, the skies turned from a normal day to chaos:
The wind picked up and then it was just chaos. It was rain and hail and the wind was absolutely terribly. I myself was luckily not affected, but a lot of the houses, businesses and the fire station were affected. It looked like a tornado hit and had gone through town
Empangeni Executive Mayor, Xolani Ngwezi promises that immediate relief will be given to affected residents. He assures his disaster management team is hard at work to provide assistance.
East Coast Radio reports that Pastor Graham Patterson of the Empangeni region, was in his office when the storm struck:
You could hear people screaming in the roads and running in the rain. The rain and hail hit the windows and all of a sudden the ceiling came in in my office. The water poured in as if you had a fire hose in the building. In the church hall, you couldn’t get to any equipment. It was unbelievable
Other towns like Sigisi, Macekane, Nseleni and Mhlanga were caught in the storm’s path.
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