Times Of Swaziland: OVER 600 AFFECTED BY HAILSTORM IN 2 DAYS

OVER 600 AFFECTED BY HAILSTORM IN 2 DAYS
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Ntombi Mhlongo on 14/01/2024 17:19:00


MBABANE – Over 600 people were on the receiving end of the hailstorm which
caused havoc on both Thursday and Friday in the country.
Once again, the Kingdom of Eswatini experienced a severe convective storm that
primarily affected the Manzini Region on Thursday, while on Friday; it was the
Shiselweni Region, mainly in Nhlangano where most people were affected. In
total, about 637 people were affected by the hailstorm in the two days. On
Thursday, the storm was characterised by heavy rainfall, violent winds and hail,
resulting in significant damage to residential, commercial and educational
buildings, as well as critical infrastructure such as electricity lines. The
affected areas include Matsapha, Masundwini, KaShali, Ngwane Park and Lwandle.
In a statement, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) said it, together
with the Baphalali Eswatini Red Cross Society (BRECS), responded and assisted
affected households with tarpaulins and rapid assessment to identify affected
households is still ongoing to evaluate the impact of the storm and develop
appropriate response interventions. Preliminary rapid assessment shows that 314
people from 67 homesteads were severely impacted by the storm in the affected
areas.
The roofs of the houses were blown away by the violent winds, leaving the
structures exposed to weather and other risks, hazards and vulnerabilities.
“This not only poses a threat to the physical integrity of the buildings, but
also creates an unsafe living environment for the residents. The storm further
caused substantial damage to critical infrastructure such as roads, which are
vital for transportation and connectivity; sewer systems, hence exposing the
public to other health related risks; and power lines, which supply electricity
to homes and businesses,” it was mentioned in the statement. Additionally, the
storm had a detrimental effect on agriculture, particularly maize fields and
other businesses, which worsened the impact at the household level.
Emergency
The NDMA said it was co-ordinating emergency response efforts to ensure that
affected families have access to emergency relief materials. “This has
resulted in the NDMA and partners distributing a total of 30 tarpaulins to
affected households, providing them with temporary shelter. The situation is
being closely monitored to determine further relief and recovery efforts,” it
was stated. On Friday, about 71 households felt the harshness of the storm with
323 people affected. The affected areas are under the Shiselweni 2 Inkhundla and
the specific areas include Siphumelele Township, Mathendele, Khiza and Single
Tree. A total of 15 tarpaulins were distributed to the affected households.
As if to suggest that this is slowly becoming a norm, early last month, the
country witnessed a hailstorm and this happened on Friday, December 8, 2023.
The storm left a trail of destruction in some parts of the Manzini and
Shiselweni regions. About seven constituencies were affected by the hailstorm
and these were Mafutseni and Mtfongwaneni in the Manzini Region as well as
Kubuta, Nkwene, Sandleni, Hosea and Mtsambama in the Shiselweni Region.
Following the unfortunate scenario, government responded swiftly by sending an
assessment team which was led by Deputy Prime Minister Thuli Dladla, the NDMA
and Baphalali Red Cross Society with a view of coming up with a comprehensive
report that was to inform possible interventions.
At the time, preliminary findings by the NDMA were to the effect that the storm
had left a total of 6 481 people severely affected and 1 125 houses damaged.
Damaged
Motor vehicles were not spared as they were also extensively damaged and then
local economy and household livelihoods also suffered as fruit trees, vegetable
gardens, maize fields, shops and markets were also damaged. In response to the
urgent need for shelter assistance, a total of 1 127 people from 255 households
were assisted with 213 tarpaulins and 12 tents. Eswatini is not the only country
that has witnessed hailstorms and floods in recent months. Neighbouring South
Africa has suffered the same fate recently, as a severe hailstorm hit parts of
Johannesburg, including Midrand, Braamfontein and Bryanston, were ravaged by a
freak storm that caused severe damage to vehicles, businesses and homes.
There were reports of hail in some parts being the size of golf balls and eggs.
It was reported that the hailstorm had become the latest headache for the
insurance industry that could cost it dearly as it sifts through the influx of
claims following the freak event.