Tornado in the Eastern Cape leaves eight families homeless

The resulting damage has left eight families displaced, Amathole District Municipality spokesperson Nonceba Madikizela-Vuso confirmed.

Msobomvu, Bergplaas, Magaleni, Bienfield, Hopefield, Khayalethu, Mazotshweni, Hala and Krwakrwa – all near Alice, and Mlalandle, Magaleni and Mabeleni near Fort Beaufort were affected.

Disaster management teams were still assessing the damage, Madikizela-Vuso said.

“The ongoing assessment has so far established that eight families were left homeless. The damage assessment is continuing, and the affected villages and families may increase,” she said.

“Amathole District Municipality will convene a JOC meeting on Monday the 2nd December with strategic stakeholders such as Social Development and Human Settlements to determine immediate relief to the affected families.”

The affected families were living with relatives in the meantime.

The reported tornado follows several others in parts of KwaZulu-Natal over the past few weeks.

Last week, 13 houses and some schools were damaged in the Ulundi area after a tornado swept through the region on Saturday, while another twister near Utrecht left large parts of the Waterval Correctional Services facility damaged last Friday.

Two other tornadoes caused havoc in earlier in the month in eMpolweni, New Hanover and Bergville.

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