The violent thunderstorm that ripped through Emadlangeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal last Friday has left widespread devastation, flattening homes, displacing hundreds of residents and stretching the municipality’s disaster-response capacity to breaking point, as the true scale of the destruction continues to emerge days after the incident. The Emadlangeni Local Municipality disaster unit said the extent of the damage was still being uncovered and that it will take until at least next Friday to complete a comprehensive assessment of affected areas. A preliminary report on the damage by Amajuba District Municipality revealed that for Emadlangeni alone, about R135 million will be required to fix damaged asphalt and gravel roads while R5,2 million will be needed for electricity restoration.
The storm tore mercilessly through communities, flattening an estimated 50 homes and leaving families shocked and displaced in its wake. At least one person was struck by lightning in the Bundane area, ward 4, amid heavy rain and intense thunderstorms that battered the northern parts of the province, leaving several residents homeless and others with minor injuries. Municipal infrastructure, including protection services, the KwaNkosi Khumalo Library, and the Emergency Services Centre, was also damaged.
Residents described scenes of chaos and destruction, saying they had never witnessed a thunderstorm of such overwhelming force, one that carved a trail of ruin through neighbourhoods in a matter of moments. Emadlangeni director of community services Nomusa Zungu said the sheer scale of the damage has pushed the municipality beyond its limits, stretching resources and response capacity to breaking point. We are different teams from the disaster unit.
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We are dealing with housing, while there is a team that deals with infrastructure. “The entire municipality is affected, and what we have done so far is not even half of the assessment still to be completed. “We have recorded 225 affected households, with each household having between five and 12 people.
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