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Joburg emergency services on high alert as hail, thunderstorms continue
Several areas were flooded and battered by the hailstorms on Monday.
Several areas were flooded and battered by the hailstorms on Monday. Photo: Twitter/Mmamphago
Johannesburg Emergency Services are on high alert following the severe thunderstorms and weather conditions which lashed parts of Johannesburg on Monday.
Several areas were flooded and battered by the hailstorms with residents sharing updates on social media.
One resident shared a clip of refuse bins floating along the road as he tried navigating through the deluge of water that had engulfed the road.
More severe weather
The inclement weather is expected to continue on Tuesday, with the regional weather service Gauteng Weather warning residents to brace for even more thunderstorms β including hail.
“The SA Weather Service issued a warning for a high likelihood of severe thunderstorms in Gauteng on Tuesday. Heavy rain, localised flooding, hail and strong winds possible in places,” it tweeted.
According to the weather service, the yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with possible heavy downpours, hail and strong winds is also expected in Limpopo, the eastern parts of Free State and North West province and the central and southern parts of Mpumalanga.
ALSO READ: Hail and storm damage cause widespread electricity outages in Joburg
Emergency services
Joburg Emergency Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi urged residents to take extreme precautions during these adverse weather conditions.
“We want to urge all our residents out there, especially those in low-lying areas to be cautious. Try and avoid crossing rivers and streams and also monitor kids to stay away from rivers and streams”.
Mulaudzi urged motorists to be patient while driving on wet roads.
“Most importantly, our motorists while driving must exercise caution, maintain a safe following distance, try and avoid crossing flooded roads and flooded bridges so that we can prevent incidents where vehicles might be swept away”.
Mulaudzi said Joburg Emergency Services will be monitoring all seven regions of the city.
“We will be on high alert so that we can respond to any emergencies that might occur throughout the city of Johannesburg.”
Electricity outages
The severe weather conditions also affected electricity infrastructure on Monday and plunged several areas into darkness.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said they have received more than 2 000 outage calls during the thunderstorms.
“We are increasing resources to most of the Service Delivery Centers (SDC) in order to respond to those calls,” Mangena said.
“Our response times to outage calls currently flooding our system will also be delayed as we are forced to navigate through the flooded streets, damaged roads and trees blown into the roads,” he added.
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