Johannesburg - The City of Ekurhuleni on Tuesday established a Joint Operational Centre (JOC) to assist people affected by a tornado that swept through parts of Tembisa, east of Johannesburg.
The tornado blew off the roof of the Phumlani Mall, outside buildings of the Tembisa Hospital and numerous households, leaving hundreds displaced.
"Search and rescue operations at the mall have been completed and the City can confirm, after thorough searching, that there is no one trapped in the debris. The city’s Disaster and Emergency Services (DEMS) is continuing with assessments. So far three people have been taken to the hospital with minor injuries," Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality spokesperson Themba Gadebe said.
"The thunderstorm blew up roofs of about 200 households in Winnie Mandela, leaving an estimated 400 people displaced. Other areas damaged by the storm include 100 shacks and 20 houses in Hospital View. The City is providing salvage sheets as an interim measure to cover the roofs and to prevent further damages to the affected properties."
Gadebe said victims of the thunderstorm may call the JOC on 011-458-0911.
He said various Ekurhuleni teams were on the ground, including Eskom and the city’s energy department, who were working on restoring power outages in the area.
The nearest Rabasotho and Olifantsfontein Community Halls were being provided by the city to accommodate displaced people, while food parcels and blankets were distributed to provide further relief to the affected, he said.
The city would deploy social workers and mobile clinics to provide counselling and other health services, Gadebe said.
The South African Weather Services warned that the country would suffer from stormy winter weather this week, with heavy rains and snowfalls forecast in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.
ANA