Times Of Swaziland: HAILSTORM HAS THEM  RUNNING IN NHLANGANO

HAILSTORM HAS THEM  RUNNING IN NHLANGANO
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BY KWANELE DLAMINI AND ANDILE SIBANDZE on 14/11/2015 05:04:00


MBABANE –It appears that there might be hope for the much anticipated rainfall
as Nhlangano and surrounding areas experienced a heavy downpour in the afternoon
yesterday which lasted approximately 20 minutes.
The downside of it is that the rain was accompanied by strong winds and huge
hailstones, which caused damage to property and vegetation.
The huge hailstones caused damage on rooftops, leaving gaping holes resulting in
rain water leaking into buildings. It also shattered windows on buildings and
motor vehicles.
searched
Nhlangano residents ran helter-skelter as they searched for cover while
motorists  searched for safe places to park.
In some of the streets in the small southern town, vegetation, especially tree
branches, were broken as a result of the strong wind. Showers started pouring at
around 3pm resulting in some shops and houses being flooded with water as the
heavy downpour continued.
There was a lot of clearing to do after the rain.
In one of the shops at Zam Zam Mall, Silomoes Corporation, which is an internet
cafe, the storm left untold damage.
Siphiwe Dube, who works of the internet cafe, said the storm caught them by
complete surprise. She said it was a normal day and customers were going about
their normal business when all of a sudden, they heard the sound of heavy
hailstones hitting the rooftop, startling everyone in the process.
Dube, in an interview last night, said while they tried to make sense of what
was happening, the hailstones ripped the ceiling apart and rain began to pour
in.
According to dube, people outside in the streets were seen rushing to safety to
escape injury.
She said they tried to remove the computers and photocopying machines to where
they thought the rainwater would not reach.
“We were caught by surprise and as I speak (at 8:30pm) there is still a lot of
water in the shop. I don’t know if the computers and the other machines will
function. We rushed to disconnect the cables when the water level rose inside
the shop in fear of being electrocuted,” she said.