nog een update (engels) typhoon

Typhoon terror brought tragedy for hundreds
16 November 2008, 13:26
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By Agiza HlongwaneNokulunga Ngobese's mother Nonhlanhla Meyiwa was poor, but she meant everything to her daughter. Her sudden death from illness early last week left Nokulunga, 22, reeling and crying for days. On Friday, Nokulunga left mourners at home in Molweni to buy last-minute groceries in Pinetown, near Durban, ahead of the funeral, scheduled for Saturday. But three hours later Nokulunga returned home to scenes of sheer devastation, including the death of a mourner at her home, in Langfontein, a township in Molweni near Hillcrest. According to the Depart-ment of Social Welfare the killer storm left eight people dead, 50 injured, 400 families destitute and many others without a roof over their heads. Recounting the horror, Nokulunga said: "I was in Pinetown when the storm started. While I was in a taxi coming back I kept thinking that it had caused a lot of damage. "But when I got here I couldn't even recognise my own home. The walls had collapsed, and the roof was blown away." On Saturday, a thick patch of blood under the rubble of the two-roomed RDP house poignantly marked the spot where a mourner, identified only as S'phiwe, was crushed to death by the wall. Nokulunga's 86-year-old grandmother Jeslinah Duma, who had been at home keeping vigil when the storm erupted, had severe head injuries when the bricks collapsed on her.She was receiving treatment at the RK Khan Hospital, along with four of her grandchildren.The disaster has meant Meyiwa's body had to be returned to the mortuary and the funeral postponed indefinitely. Across the road from Meyiwa's home Nokwenzani Nzunga, 32, put on a brave face as she described how her daughter Samukelisiwe, 10, and her cousin Sanele Hlongwane, 9, had died.Back from school, the children had been changing their clothes. "The weather changed. We saw a twisting, black cloud come from Hillcrest. And suddenly it stopped here. There was darkness and it started raining heavily. All the roofs and walls got blown away," said Nzunga. Her niece came running to her with a cut on her hand and told her their house had collapsed and that the girls were trapped inside. Nzunga ran to the house, where she found neighbours already helping to remove the bodies from the rubble. Samukelisiwe was already dead, while Sanele died a short while later.Nontobeko Mpulo, 15, said: "The storm was a scary sight. The area became dark, while light remained all round. When I tried to look at it, my eyes started itching. It blew everything with such force... It was as if somebody was there sweeping. Then it was over very quickly, within about 10 minutes."Sanele Ndlovu, 32, was among the people who worked tirelessly until late on Friday night, helping people retrieve their belongings from under the rubble. But he was to make a terrible discovery on Saturday - his own 12-year-old son Ayanda, who had been visiting a friend, was found dead after a wall collapsed on him. Weeping uncontrollably, Ndlovu threatened to kill himself and had to be subdued by a group of men. Elsewhere, the sheer force of the winds could be seen from the broken trees, lampposts strewn across the road, and corrugated iron roofs tangled on power lines. Blankets and food parcels were delivered to eNdlini Yotshani, a local community hall and calls were made for more emergency aid. Social development MEC Meshack Radebe said displaced residents would be housed in tents and a local hall would be used as temporary accommodation.Premier Sibusiso Ndebele assured residents in Molweni their houses would be re-built by Christmas.



Dit bericht van hedenmiddag uit lokale krant. Heb vanmiddag met Gunter gesproken....a complete disaster....waren zijn woorden...
Tot een volgend bericht......Ingrid en John