KZN disaster teams deployed after severe thunderstorms hit Amajuba, Umzinyathi districts

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has dispatched rapid-response disaster management teams to the Amajuba and Umzinyathi districts following severe thunderstorms that left a trail of destruction across parts of the province on Thursday afternoon.

The department said a violent weather system, marked by heavy rainfall, large hail and gale-force winds, swept through the region at about 4 pm, severely affecting the eMadlangeni, Dannhauser and Newcastle local municipalities.

Damage was also reported in sections of the Umzinyathi District.

In eMadlangeni, particularly in Utrecht, preliminary assessments indicated that more than 20 houses in wards 2, 3, and 5 were completely destroyed.

Three people were injured during the storm and were receiving urgent medical care. In Dannhauser, approximately 115 households were affected, with 30 homes reported to have been completely destroyed.

Several areas in Newcastle were also hard hit, prompting the emergency relocation of displaced residents to the Osizweni Community Hall.

In the Umzinyathi District, assessments were under way in Dundee and surrounding areas where trees and infrastructure were uprooted.

MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi said disaster management teams had been deployed and were already conducting mop-up operations and damage assessments.

“Our teams are currently on the ground conducting mop-up operations and detailed assessments to ensure no family is left stranded.

''We are working around the clock with our social partners to restore dignity to those who have lost their homes today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured,” he said.

Buthelezi added that the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) had been instructed to coordinate with local municipalities and social partners to provide immediate relief to affected families, including food parcels, blankets and temporary shelter.

The PDMC remains on high alert as weather conditions across the province continued to be volatile, he said.

Buthelezi has urged residents to exercise extreme caution, particularly by avoiding flooded roads and low-lying bridges, remaining indoors during lightning and strong winds, and to report any life-threatening incidents to local ward councillors or municipal disaster management units.

The department said further updates would be provided once the full extent of the damage had been quantified.

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za 

IOL News