Image via: @StormReportSA1 / Twitter
Watch: Petrol station in Vereeniging collapses due to severe storm
A severe storm, strong winds and heavy rainfall have led to the collapse of a Vereeniging petrol station, leaving vehicles partly smashed.
Image via: @StormReportSA1 / Twitter
Mother nature is hard at work in Gauteng on Friday 20 November 2020. While there have been warnings of a storm, nobody quite expected a petrol station to collapse. Gauteng Weather, on Friday, tweeted that the Global petrol station in Vereeniging caved in due to severe weather conditions.
While the roof giving way was not caught on camera, the after-effects are in plain sight. A bus, as well as, a taxi can be seen stuck halfway up in the air due to the impact.
WATCH: PETROL STATION GIVES WAY AFTER SEVERE RAINFALL AND STRONG WINDS
On Thursday Gauteng Weather announced that The South African Weather Service (Saws) issued a weather warning for Gauteng, indicating the medium likelihood of severe thunderstorms. It said localised flooding, heavy rain and poor driving conditions would likely ensue late on Friday.
On Friday afternoon, around 14:00, it said there were reports of infrastructure damage in Vereeniging due to a storm with damaging winds, heavy downpours and hail. Gauteng Weather also reported severe flooding at Midvaal Hospital in Three Rivers saying there were multiple reports of areas underwater.
The South African reached out to SAPS Brigadier Mathapelo Peters for further comment on the Vereeniging incident, however, there was no response at the time of publication.
PARTS OF GAUTENG UNDERWATER
Not only has a petrol station collapsed but Storm Report also posted a video of what appears to be a parking lot with several cars halfway underwater. Some cars had water right up until its doors. Videos and pictures were also posted of large amounts of hail.
TORNADO IN MTHATHA
Saws also confirmed that there was a vicious tornado in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday 17 November 2020. It said there was evidence of cars being thrown up into the air.
“The multicell thunderstorms travelled to the east and during the following three hours travelled almost 280km from Graaf-Reinet to Bofolo (nearly half-way from Queenstown to Mthatha), while an intensifying storm (located south of Burgersdorp) moved for about 78 km to the south-east. A secondary merger began to take place, further intensifying the storm,” Saws said in a statement.
“The impacts as evidenced by the photographs and the short distance travelled between 17:00 and 18:00 SAST strongly suggest that there was an EF3 tornado. The storm is rated as an EF2 to EF3 tornado because of the supporting damage: torn-off roofing sheets, peeling of roofs at the corners, and evidence of cars being thrown in the air,” it added.
