The Johannesburg Emergency Services is on high alert this weekend as the city expects heavy rains on Saturday and Sunday.
The service says it is monitoring low lying areas and informal settlements which are usually hardest hit by storms and heavy rains.
On Friday, heavy rains and strong winds caused severe damage in Sharpeville in Vereeniging leading to a filling station roof collapsing on three vehicles.
Severe storm causes petrol station roof to collapse:
Joburg Emergency Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi says: “We are urging all our residents to avoid crossing river streams, monitoring kids to stay away from drainage systems and also playing next to the streams so that we prevent drowning incidents and also our motorists to extend a safe following distance as they drive during these wet weather conditions. We’ve got our disaster management monitoring teams monitoring all seven regions of the city.”
OR Tambo district residents picking up the pieces following devastating storm:
Meanwhile, the O.R. Tambo district in the Eastern Cape is picking up the pieces after the devastating storm that ripped through large parts of the province on Monday, claiming three lives.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers and the Department of Human Settlements are on the ground assisting the affected people with basic necessities.
