KwaZulu-Natal disaster management on high alert following severe thunderstorm warnings

• KwaZulu-Natal disaster management teams are on standby following inclement weather warnings.
• The SA weather services has warned of severe thunder storms to hit the province on Tuesday afternoon.
• Harry Gwala, Ilembe, uMgungundlovu, and Uthukela districts, and the Ethekwini metro are expected to be affected severely. 

KwaZulu-Natal Disaster Management teams are on high alert following a weather warning issued by the South African Weather Services (Saws) predicting severe thunder storms on Tuesday.

On Monday, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Sipho Hlomuka placed disaster management teams on alert following the weather warning issued by the Saws which indicates that severe thunderstorms could hit large parts of the province between this afternoon and Tuesday. 

According to the warning, severe thunderstorms are expected to result in damage to settlements and infrastructure due to strong winds.

READ | Heavy rains cause flooding in Garden Route, motorists warned to stay off the roads

"Severe lightning could result in fire incidents, injuries to humans and livestock, and damage to vehicles due to hail. Heavy downpours may lead to localised flooding," Cogta spokesperson Senzo Mzila said in a statement.

Mzila added that the inclement weather conditions are expected to affect the Harry Gwala, Ilembe, uMgungundlovu, and Uthukela districts and the eThekwini metro.

Hlomuka asked residents to exercise extreme caution as the inclement weather conditions could pose a risk to human life.

Disaster management teams will be monitoring areas that are prone to weather-related incidents. 

Flooding

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall caused major flooding in roads along the Garden Route.

According to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and the Joint Operations Centre (JOC), provincial and local municipal traffic departments are currently on the scene patrolling all roads and towns.

In George, a total of seven schools have been closed as a precautionary measure.

Areas such as Mdongwe, Zone 4,6,7,and 5 are currently experiencing power outages due to inclement weather. Electricians are said to be attending to the problem.

"Electricians are attending to the power failure in Rosedale."

Motorists have also been warned to exercise caution when using the roads as some roads in Outshoorn, Bitou, and George have been temporarily closed.