KZN placed on weather alert again
The South African Weather Service has issued a level 1 warning for powerful winds that could cause localised damage to temporary structures in KZN.
Forecasters have warned high-sided vehicles travelling on the N3 on Wednesday to be aware of crosswinds expected over the north-western.
Five people have lost their lives on Monday in a powerful storm that battered communities north of Durban.
Areas in and around Sandfields in Tongaat experienced a burst of severe weather that ripped off roofs and flooded streets.
Heavy rain, hail and winds wreaked havoc in the afternoon, leaving a number of people injured. Eyewitnesses say a massive tornado barrelled through Tongaat at one point.
A level 4 alert for disruptive rains was issued for parts of the KZN coast earlier.
KZN disaster officials say most of the incident reports came through from Tongaat. Other areas in the province were affected, including Umgababa, Durban Central, and the western region.
Strong winds also lashed communities in Newcastle, Dannhauser and Nquthu.
IPSS Medical Rescue's Samantha Meyrick says their team were on the ground on the north coast on Monday night.
She says they were called to Rama Drive.
"In Tongaat, we received reports that one woman sadly lost her life after a wall collapsed on her."
She says search and rescue teams weren't prepared for this level of devastation.
"I was out with a very experienced group of search and rescuers, and from all sides, it is not something we have ever seen before. The best way to describe it is as you see in a movie after a tornado has struck—the damage is extensive, homes have been overly destroyed, they look like they have been ransacked, and sadly, it's the poorest areas that have been again affected, and they are not left destitute with nowhere to go."
The Community Emergency Response Team's Riza Saddack was also assisting communities north of Durban.
"At this stage, there are a lot of buildings that have collapsed, roofs that have flown off, roadways have been obstructed with trees that have blown over."
Officials from Reaction Unit SA have confirmed that a toddler, aged 16 months, was killed after a wall collapsed in her home in Sandfields.
