Community resilience and response: the aftermath of the Tongaat tornado

IOL News

2 days ago

The tornado relief receiving and dispatch team.
Image: Supplied
Discover how the Tongaat community united in the wake of a devastating tornado, providing relief and support to thousands affected by the disaster. HAROLD MAISTRY highlights the resilience, coordination, and compassion displayed by local organisations and volunteers."
'WHAT counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others' - Nelson Mandela.
These words of our beloved Madiba resonate with the resilience of a community devastated by the tornado and the magnanimity of individuals and organisations in responding to this disaster.
On June 3, 2024, at approximately 4.25pm, a tornado left a wake of destruction, leaving more than 3 000 residents displaced, hundreds of homes destroyed, and 12 dead. The northern and coastal areas were most affected.
It was described as a 'wedge' tornado because it was wider and larger rather than tall and reached wind speeds of between 225 and 260 kilometres per hour.
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Within 30 minutes after it hit, the Disaster Relief Centre at Vishwaroop Temple Hall was operationalised. This centre was operational during the Covid-19 pandemic, the looting in July 2021 and the April 2022 floods.
The Tongaat Disaster Relief team comprised representatives of the Tongaat Civic Association, the Tongaat Child and Family Welfare Society, the Tongaat Hindu Unity Forum, the Vishwaroop Temple and Dharmashala and the oThongathi Outreach Forum. The Vishwaroop Temple premises, with its large yard, hall and learning centre, was the ideal space for storing and distributing relief.
Five shipping containers were also placed at the temple. We remain grateful to the patrons, management committee and devotees for availing this premises at no charge.
The immediate need was rescue efforts, housing displaced victims and the provision of food, blankets and mattresses. Through co-ordinated efforts of the various role-players, the trapped victims were rescued, medical assistance was rendered and the roads were cleared. Warm meals and blankets were provided by the Tongaat Disaster Relief Centre and the displaced victims were temporarily housed at community halls, creches, etc.
The Tongaat Disaster Relief team linked up with community leaders from the affected areas and set up regionalised joint operational centres (JOCs) to provide feedback, co-ordinate the disaster relief efforts and distribute items received. Approximately 15 000 meals were prepared at the Vishwaroop Temple premises with 40 tons of aid distributed by the Tongaat Disaster Relief Team. We had also established de-centralised cooking facilities.
We had received an outpouring of support and aid from people and organisations outside of KwaZulu-Natal and the country from the moment the disaster hit social media and the news. It was overwhelming to experience the continuous streaming of aid.
The strategy was in essence three-fold. Firstly, we immediately attended to shelter and food. Secondly, we facilitated the return of victims to their homes (which were salvageable) through the provision of tarps, food hampers, toiletries, blankets, clothes, etc.
Thirdly, there was the rebuilding and repair works to uninsured houses. The Tongaat Disaster Relief Committee provided a range of services that included immediate, medium and long-term assistance. Psychosocial services, which is often overlooked, was also provided. Many victims still display post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and sudden weather changes trigger their traumatic experience.
A technical team compromising engineers, project managers, accountants and volunteers was also established. These professionals had offered their services pro bono.
The regionalised JOCs had played a pivotal role in identifying homes that met the criteria, that is, uninsured for repair work to be conducted. These homes were assessed by the technical team and a report for each affected house was provided. The repair work conducted by the Tongaat Disaster Relief Centre included the restoration of roofs, doors and windows.
The technical team also provided assistance to the general community affected by the tornado. They worked closely with the eThekwini building inspectorate department. Plans were accessed with the owners' consent to ensure that the work undertaken had met the requisite standards and in compliance with relevant legislation and bylaws. The technical team also assisted in providing engineers' reports which was done free of charge.
Eighty houses have been repaired to date by the Tongaat Disaster Relief technical team. This excludes the building material provided for the informal dwellings. The government also provided relief packages for the repair and restoration of homes particularly in the informal settlements. This included the replacement of roofs, roof tiles, underpinning, replacement of doors and windows.
The funding for the repair work undertaken was through private and corporate donations, which included cash and items like building materials, paint, etc.
The technical team undertook its work within a constrained budget. The challenge they faced was with the houses with asbestos roofs. Asbestos is regarded as a hazardous substance and the removal required specialists in the field and this was an expensive exercise. These damaged asbestos roofs had to be removed at the same time for safe disposal.
In terms of the municipal bylaws these damaged asbestos roofs had to be replaced with fibre cement sheets. Fibre cement sheets are expensive and an average assessed house requires between 24 and 30 sheets. Budget constraints had halted these efforts. However, the team is still attempting to access additional funding to complete these houses.
Detailed records and inventory are kept of the monies and items received. The funds received by the Tongaat Disaster Relief Committee was collected by the Tongaat Child and Family Welfare Society and the Tongaat Hindu Unity Forum.
Several organisations and business houses had also undertaken repair and restoration of houses damaged by the tornado. Their magnanimous contribution cannot be overstated and the community remains grateful to them.
The sudden onset of extreme weather events experienced around South Africa, underscores the importance of understanding how tornadoes form and the potential impact of climate change on their frequency and intensity.
In South Africa, warm, humid regions like KwaZulu-Natal could see more severe storms due to climate change, making tornadoes a more common threat. To reduce the impact and devastation of future tornadoes, mitigation strategies like improved weather monitoring with advanced technology, awareness campaigns with the general public in respect of disasters like the tornado, and review of building bylaws relating to the resilience of structures to catastrophic events like the tornado.
Community emergency relief committees should be established, with training related to disaster relief and response. The creation of community disaster relief centres is paramount. Government departments must also improve their communication and co-ordinated efforts. They need to work with community organisations.
Community organisations should also put aside their petty differences and be wary of the disastrous role of self-centered politicians and individuals.
Key lessons learnt from the tornado relief efforts include that disaster relief has become a contest driven by egos, the relevance of various role-players and the lack of coordinated efforts in responding to the disaster. The silo mentality, particularly within the government departments, hampered work and the response was very slow or non-existent.
Social media had become the battle ground spreading acrimony and the 'keyboard warriors' being the 'storm troopers.' As a community, we need lessons in humility.
Before we rush to social media with unfounded allegations, let us pause, reflect and engage with facts rather than fiction. As civil society organisations, we may have our differences but we should remember that service to the community is what unites us.
We need to engage with each other. Civil society was key in the disaster relief efforts and one would shudder to think what would have happened had it not been for their involvement. The Tongaat Disaster Relief committee had made several efforts to bring in all the role-players together. However, this was not very successful. We acknowledge and respect the work undertaken by all those involved in the relief efforts.
As the Tongaat Disaster Committee, the utilisation of social media to publicise our work was not given much regard. For many of us, who were involved in the anti-apartheid struggle, publicising the work done was frowned upon. We need to evolve from 'shying away' from this and learn the importance of utilising the various media platforms.
Social cohesion is critical and as civil society we need to be at the forefront of these efforts. The old adage, 'be guided by your heart but think with your head' was very relevant in our relief efforts. We also learnt that you can serve an individual's needs but never their greed.
The tornado that ravaged the community of Tongaat is a stark reminder of the power of nature particularly the impact of global warming and the importance of preparedness and resilience.
Harold Maistry
Image: Supplied
Harold Maistry is an anti-apartheid and community activist serving the community of Tongaat for over 40 years and is involved in the Tongaat Child Welfare, Tongaat Anti-Drug Forum, Tongaat Disaster Relief Committee and Tongaat Civic Association.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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