18/02/2025
A tornado swept through our neighborhood in Montana, Pretoria, this afternoon.
What should have been a routine trip back from work turned into a difficult one. As many of you experienced, normal circumstances can change in an instant. Our family experienced this firsthand.
We are grateful that our family is safe and we still have a roof over our heads tonight.
For those whose lives were changed today, and who are wondering how to move forward, we are praying for you.
This is our neighborhood, and we share your difficulties. We will rise from this and rebuild.
Here are some helpful tips to get you through the night and help you take the next steps:
1. Prioritise safety by first making sure your loved ones are safe. Assess the damage to your home/premises, ensure structural integrity before making use of it.
2. Cover any openings like broken windows with boards or plastic, remove any debris. Take steps to prevent further damage by moving furniture away from windows or standing water.
3. Check your gas connections, make sure it is secure. Swich it off should you suspect a leak.
4. Check electrical wire. Look out for open, live wires that are exposed. Swich off any electrical feeds at your main DB board, should anything look out of place and callout a qualified electrician to assist and fix.
5. Please think safe and logic about your damage or problem. If it does not look or feel safe, callout a proffesional to assist. Do not attempt to climb on a roof while it is not safe or weather is extreme. You can cover your damaged, exposed roof with durable plastic, securing it with rooftiles or bricks in order to limit water damage, but do not try this alone or without safety measures.
6. Turn off your waterfeed should you suspect damage to your pipes, geyser or taps to avoid water waste and high bills.
7. Contact your insurance company, document damage with photos and request a report from qualified professional.
Please be safe.