SOUTH Africa has recently been battered by severe weather phenomena, ranging from severe drought, devastating floods, violent hailstorms, heavy snowfalls and even tornadoes, leaving a trail of destruction across the country.
Contrary to popular belief, several tornadoes have occurred in Gauteng over the years, and are not uncommon for South Africa, said Pieter Visser, a catastrophe analyst at Aon Benfield.
“The value of the largest loss that could result from a disaster such as a tornado over a residential area in South Africa has been pegged at R8-billion, compared to R13-billion for a hailstorm,” he adds.
“In 1952 a tornado West of Johannesburg left 600 people injured and 24 deceased. More recently, tornadoes also affected Midrand, with substantial damages to aircrafts at Grand Central Airport,” says Visser.
He warned that there was ‘little recourse’ for home owners in the event of a tornado, ‘other than ensuring that their building structures comply with standards set within the regional buildings regulations’. He urged the public to take preventative measures to reduce damage and loss.
According to Mandy Barret of insurance brokerage and risk advisors, Aon South Africa, it is imperative to check whether your insurance policy is geared to address what the insurance industry terms ‘acts of god’.
“In most insurance policies you will find that you are covered for basic perils which include hail, severe rain storms, wind storms such as tornadoes and snow. It is, however, a good idea to confirm, as hail damage, for example, can be excluded on some insurance policies unless specified,” warns Barret.
She said it was also important to take note of what your insurance policies cover.
“You will be covered under your homeowners insurance if a tornado blew the roof off your home, but that same insurance policy will not respond to the damage done to furniture, electrical appliances or the contents of cupboards. The same goes for vehicles that are parked in a garage,” she explained.
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