A tornado ripped through Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday 3 June, causing extensive damage to homes, schools, roads and infrastructure. It has left over a thousand families homeless.

“We offer emergency services and disaster management teams our thanks for their dedication. Our Ballito branch have donated mattresses and our teams of armed response officers have helped to clear roads and to deliver medication. We remain ready to assist wherever we are needed. Now is a time to pull together,” says Shaun Moodley, Durban North Branch Manager for Fidelity ADT.

“We received multiple calls regarding homes being affected and alarm systems being damaged. We have deployed extra armed response patrols to assist with another layer of security and will continue to assist residents in trying to clear their homes of storm damage.”

With the subsiding of the storm, the focus can shift to recovery and rebuilding.

“Depending on how badly your community was affected by the storm there is a very strong likelihood that any external elements of your system may have been damaged or destroyed. This especially includes items such as passive sensors installed in your garden or your electric fences. This means that for the immediate future, you must pay closer attention to locking any doors and windows as your outside perimeter protection measures are not operational.”

Homeowners can contact their security companies to send technical teams to do an assessment of any damaged security equipment.

“We will work closely with neighbourhood watches and local authorities to offer extra visible security support where this may be required. If you see anything suspicious in your community, contact the local SAPS or your security company immediately,” says Moodley.