Africa-Press – Eswatini. The intense rainfall during a storm in the generated devastation on Friday across several areas, wreaked havoc on homes, roads, and infrastructure leaving 4 572 people directly affected.
A woman tragically lost her life while attempting to secure her home during the storm.
The victim, identified as Sibonangaye Gama from Mkhuzweni, was reportedly trying to close a window in the house as the storm intensified, but the fierce winds and heavy rain made the task challenging, resulting in a fatal accident.
Her son, Sanele, said she was rushed to hospital when the storm subsided. Unfortunately, there was a shortage of blood, contributing to her demise on Saturday morning.
The storm caused damage to 638 homesteads and left 23 people injured.
While the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) delivered some relief, many residents were left drenched, their homes swamped.
The excessive rain, which lasted for about 30 minutes caused major flooding in several constituencies including Mafutseni, Mtfongwaneni, Kubuta, Nkwene, Sandleni and Hosea, which were severely affected.
Personal property including vehicles, homes, livestock sheds, businesses and crops were also damaged.
The storm also caused significant damage to 19 schools with windows and roofs being the mostly affected.
The schools include Mhubhe High and St Philomena Primary, both are at Ngculwini.
St Philomena Head teacher, Musa Hleta, said the damage was significant but they were yet to meet to make an assessment of how much it is worth.
At Mhubhe High School, the ground has pine tree leaves, as all the trees around the school were stripped of leaves.
Windows were also broken and the roofing destroyed with classrooms, teachers’ houses, school kitchens and other property in the schools also extensively damaged.
Residents of Ngculwini said it was the first time they went through such and prayed that it never happens again.
One of the community members, Delisa Maziya said it felt like langa bricks were being thrown on the roof and although the storm took a short while, the damage to his house was extensive.
Managed
He said he managed to take the children into a built-in wardrobe and that was how they were saved, as the tiles and the ceiling were damaged.
Also, civil servants from the ministry of agriculture extension office in the area were forced to vacate their houses to find alternative places of accommodation as the houses were damaged.
Their office was also extensively damaged with the tiles broken into little pieces.
The police post housed next to the extension office was also affected and people were yesterday found repairing the windows and roofing.
Almost all the homesteads also had clothing on their washing lines as their clothing, blankets and other items were soaked in water after the roofing was damaged.
Some of the homes have been covered with tents as a temporary cover after the roofing was destroyed.
The mood at Ngculwini and Ntabamhloshana was sombre as people took stock of the damage caused by the storm and tried to repair what needed to be fixed.
The storm caused damage in these two areas, but spared the adjacent area of Timbutini.
The destruction at Ngculwini is easily visible. The first most visible damage is the corrugated iron sheets of St Philomena Primary School from what used to be a veranda.
This is the same place where a video which has been circulating on social media of cars with broken windscreens and rear windows was taken. Almost all of the blocks of classrooms have broken windows, and there was also damage to the roofing.
Lying
In other parts of the area, broken windscreens could be seen on the ground, and corrugated iron sheets lying around. Also markets were damaged and trees were without any leaves of fruits.
The NDMA, in its situational report states that the situation for the affected families was dire, and there was an urgent need for rehabilitation and reconstruction support.
It stated also that affected are some health facilities and other important infrastructure.
The agency further stated that the deputy prime minister’s office, through the NDMA and Baphalali Eswatini Red Cross Society, were currently conducting a rapid needs assessment in areas impacted by the hailstorm.
As part of the emergency response initiative, the NDMA has distributed tents and tarpaulins to provide temporary shelter to those in need.
It also warned the nation to remain vigilant as the country continues to experience thunderstorms and rains.
The NDMA also stated that it was very important to ensure that all windows and doors were closed during storms to minimise risk of roofs getting blown off.
The organisation said members of the public in the affected areas were encouraged to report damages on the NDMA social media platforms, constituency centres and disaster risk management volunteers within their communities.
It further advised people should keep track of the situation through reliable news sources, weather forecasts, and updates from local authorities and to secure their homes by trimming trees and clearing drainages around their property.
It is also warned against venturing out during the storm unless necessary and to be aware of fallen power lines and debris.
For More News And Analysis About Eswatini Follow Africa-Press
