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Tropical Cyclone Eloise made landfall in Mozambique on Saturday, hitting the port city of Beira with strong winds and heavy rain.
Tropical Cyclone Eloise made landfall in the Beira area on Saturday, January 23, 2021. Image: South African Weather Service
JOHANNESBURG – Emergency authorities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Limpopo said on Sunday that measures had been put in place in case communities had to be evacuated as Tropical Cyclone Eloise approached South Africa.
KZN’s Cooperative Governance Department said areas such as Jozini, Mutubatuba, Ulundi and Umlalazi would be closely monitored when the storm made landfall.
While in Limpopom, Eloise was expected to reach the Vhembe, Capricorn, Sekhukhune, and Mopani regions.
Several countries in southern Africa are in the path of the storm.
Tropical Cyclone Eloise made landfall in Mozambique on Saturday, hitting the port city of Beira with strong winds and heavy rain.
Cars plunged into the water, while the walls of some low-rise buildings collapsed and tracts of land were flooded.
Limpopo MEC Basikopo Makamu Cooperative Governance said the province was prepared.
“The South African National Defense Force is also ready, with the Rescue Unit of the South African Police Service, they are also ready. They have their helicopters on standby in case the need arises to use them. As a province, we believe that we are prepared for this cyclone ”.
At KZN, emergency workers can be very busy.
The spokeswoman for the province’s Cooperative Governance Department, Nonala Ndlovu, said: “We are ready, but there is still a lot to do in terms of being fully prepared. We are moving to a stage where we want to be proactive and try to help communities before the storm hits. We are looking at what can be done to move people ahead of time. “
At the same time, Kruger National Park said contingency plans had been put in place to protect animals and tourists as the cyclone approached.
Disaster management teams in the Kruger National Park were on high alert as the storm is expected to make landfall in South Africa.
Various parts of the Kruger River, particularly in the far north, were affected by significant rainfall and strong winds due to the tropical storm.
The imminent landfall of the storm has forced the closure of some of the park’s facilities.
South African National Parks spokesman Ike Phaahla said: “Kruger National Park disaster management teams are on high alert and as a precaution we are closing gravel roads, picnic sites and the savanna camp.” .
Eloise comes just two years after Idai hit South Africa.
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