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STORMS wreaked havoc throughout the region on Monday night, leaving a trail of damage and destruction.
Empangeni resident, Michelle Brown, said she was shocked when she discovered that a massive branch of a Flamboyant tree had fallen into her yard, damaging her wall and caravan, in the middle of the night.
‘Funnily enough it didn’t make a huge sound when it fell but what wasn’t fun was having to go out and inspect the damage during the storm.’
Brown said she had informed the municipality about the damage the following morning and they quickly responded in accessing the damage.
‘They agreed with me that the entire tree would need to come down because it’s not on my property and would pose further risk,’ she said.
While no major injuries were reported in the King Cetshwayo and Umkhanyakude Districts, a number of homes were destroyed.
‘One incident has been reported to the uMlalazi Municipality where a house was completely destroyed due to heavy rains.
‘The uMlalazi team is busy with assessment to identify the needs of the affected family,’ said King Cetshwayo District Municipality Fire Chief, Thabo Mlambo.
Head of Disaster Management for the Umkhanyakude District Municipality, Eugene Mngoma, said he was not aware of any major incidents caused by the storm but that his team was still monitoring the situation.
On Monday the South African Weather Service issued a weather warning for severe thunderstorms over most parts of the province.
Earlier this month a serious storm ravaged the neighbouring districts of Uthukela, Umzinyathi and Harry Gwala leaving 400 houses destroyed and five people injured.
This motivated the KZN government to look into the establishment of a reserve disaster fund in the province, to be funded by national government.
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) appointed a service provider to do an assessment so that relief could be provided to the affected families.