Over 1,000 Midvaal Residents Left Homeless After Tornado

The Gauteng Disaster Management team has been tasked with finding alternative accommodation for over 1,000 people, who were left displaced following a major storm in the Midvaal municipality on Monday (which included strong winds that witnesses said was a tornado).

“Information compiled by disaster management so far indicates that 565 shacks were damaged with an estimation of over 1,000 people affected.

“The disaster management team has been tasked with identifying available nearby land where the affected people can be moved temporarily,” said Cooperative Governance MEC Paul Mashatile.

The disaster management team is working in the Mamello informal settlement, Dennisville township and Vaal Marina, which were affected.

Thirty-one people, who were injured in the storm, were transported to Heidelberg and Kopanong hospitals. One critical patient was transferred to Baragwanath Hospital to receive further treatment and 26 of the injured people have since been discharged from hospital.

Affected households have been provided with alternative shelter, food, blankets and medical care, while the disaster management teams have their hands full assessing the extent of the damage in the formal Vaal Marine areas.

“The swift response by disaster management and EMS [emergency medical services] personnel — coupled with the interventions and aid assistance by various NGOs and private entities to bring humanitarian to the affected communities — is not going unnoticed,” said Mashatile.

Mashatile said his department was about to start with the construction of 200 houses, which will be completed by the first quarter of 2018. The 200 houses will accommodate most of the qualifying beneficiaries in the area.

Those who do not qualify for RDP houses will apparently benefit from various rental social houses in the Sedibeng region.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

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