A multi-million-rand fire and rescue centre will be launched in Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast on Tuesday.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Sipho Hlomuka says it is critical to beef up municipal capacity to equip communities to deal with poor weather conditions.
In April last year, the Ugu District Municipality suffered damage to infrastructure including houses and roads from a devastating storm.
About 70 KwaZulu-Natal residents lost their lives in that storm.
Scientists have for years now been saying that erratic weather events are only set to become more frequent.
The construction of the fire and rescue centre is a response to this at a community level.
Storms causing trail of destruction
The body of a missing woman who was swept away while crossing a swollen river at Umlazi F section south of Durban was found last week.
The 22-year-old woman was swept away last Wednesday as parts of the province experienced severe thunderstorms.
At least three people died in the storms.
Two other people succumbed to injuries after being struck by lightning.
Last year, a series of storms hit the KwaZulu-Natal province.
Some roads were washed away and bridges and houses were damaged while others collapsed following two tornadoes and heavy rains.
In December last year, residents from the Harry Gwala District Municipality on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast were hit by a storm that caused a trail of destruction, damaging 300 homes:
-Additional reporting by SABC News
