A storm is in the brewing...
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Lightning kills man
Durban - Lightning struck dead a man in his home and left at least three of his family members seriously injured during another round of severe thunderstorms that struck KwaZulu-Natal this weekend, the province's Social Development MEC Meschack Radebe said on Saturday.
The man had been inside his home in Bhamshela on the North Coast on Friday night when lightning hit. His family were also struck and were presently being treated at hospital.
Dozens of homes had been damaged and some people had been left homeless.
Radebe said he would visit the area on Sunday to assess the damage and address the community.
The storm was predicted by the weather bureau earlier this week and Premier Sbu Ndebele had made an announcement about it.
The prediction came after 16 lives were claimed in another freak storm last weekend.
Among the victims were a family of four struck dead by lightning inside their Ndwedwe home.
Trees were uprooted, roofs caved in, walls and houses collapsed, cars washed away, and in some areas water mains had burst.
The province had been put on a state of alert with experts predicting more storms in the weeks ahead.
Ndebele had warned residents to store extra canned food so that when the storm hit they would not be left "high and dry".
Last weekend's disaster alone affected 12 736 people and cost an estimated R108 million in damages.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Interesting story from News24
| More news at www.news24.com Read the story online: Sent by: Brent Six dead in KZN storm
At least six people have been killed during a storm that ravaged various parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the province's Social Development MEC Meshack Hadebe says. Durban - At least six people were killed during a storm that ravaged various parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the province's Social Development MEC Meshack Hadebe said on Sunday morning. "It is huge. At least 10 areas have been devastated and more than 2 000 families were affected," he told Sapa. He confirmed that a family of four had died in Ndwedwe. Another person was killed in the Dalton area and another in Vryheid. Premier Sbu Ndebele told Sapa the damage was extensive and that he, together with Hadebe, would be visiting the affected areas. Hadebe said he was due to visit Camperdown and then Ndwedwe, while Ndebele was expected to visit the Copesville and Imbali area of Pietermaritzburg. "Once we visit these areas to assess the damage, we will compile a report and then decide whether to declare any of them disaster areas," Hadebe. Struck by lightning Police spokesperson Muzi Mngomezulu said the family from the Malangeni area of Ndwedwe were inside their home when "the lightning entered". "All four were struck by the lightning and died. Another person was also struck by lightning inside a house in KwaKhulusi." Spokesperson for the local government department, Lennox Mabaso, said once verification had taken place, they would release the exact number of people killed in the storm. News editor of the Witness newspaper Stephanie Saville said Saturday night's storm destroyed homes, blew away factory roofs and uprooted trees in Pietermaritzburg. Witness printing plant The newspaper's printing plant in Willowton had most of its roof torn off. Managing director Piet le Roux said in a statement: "The press will be out of commission for some time, but we're just grateful that no one was injured." Plans were being made for the Witness, Ilanga, Daily Sun, as well as numerous weekly titles, to be printed with the assistance of Media 24 in Johannesburg, and Africa Web Press and Independent Newspapers in Durban. "The Witness hasn't missed the publication of an issue in 163 years of existence, but we would ask that our readers be patient, as deliveries may be later than usual through this period. "We plan to be fully operational again as soon as possible," said Le Roux.
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