Africa-Press – South-Africa. Community relief groups braved heavy rains and winds to assist displaced residents after a tornado hit parts of KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday afternoon.
Protection services company KZN VIP deployed members to Inanda, Phoenix and surrounding areas to evacuate residents to community halls and temporary shelters.
KZN VIP spokesperson Gareth Naidoo told News24 that there was extensive damage to infrastructure and private properties in both suburbs.
Edwin Narothan of the Phoenix Crime and Community Assist said some affected residents, including an elderly woman living alone, asked for help via WhatsApp.
He added: “A lot of the houses were flooded. Although not many people were displaced in this area, the councillors have opened up one community hall to accommodate those with no place to sleep.”
Narothan said the residents feared the flooding would resemble that of April 2022, which killed more than 400 people.
He said:
Durban Metro Police spokesperson Boysie Zungu said they hadn’t received flooding reports on the N2 and N3, but he urged motorists to drive with caution due to heavy rains.
WATCH | ‘Yes, that is a tornado’: KZN residents warned to batten down the hatches
News24 reported earlier that the SA Weather Service (SAWS) confirmed that a tornado hit parts of Durban.
The service said a storm developed from the coastal part of Durban at around 13:00 and had “cycled around” in that it was “not moving forward or backwards” until about 14:00.
“It moved over to the land and produced a tornado. Yes, that is a tornado,” said SAWS.
The weather service also said the heavy rain would result in flooding and urged residents to avoid low-lying areas.
“The danger with low-lying areas is that you can’t see how far [it] goes down, so it’s best to avoid crossing bridges and flooded areas.”
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