Joburg braces for severe storm: What precautions to take

Residents of Johannesburg are bracing for a severe storm following a warning by the city’s Disaster Management Centre.

The thunderstorm is expected to land in the city between 10am and 9pm on Wednesday, 30 September.

According to the Disaster Management Centre, there is a high risk of minor to severe impact in places over parts of Gauteng.

“The thunderstorm formations will start in the early afternoon and reach their maximum intensity around 5pm,” the centre said in a statement.

The storm may include severe lighting, localised flash flooding, and damaging winds.

“The City of Johannesburg Disaster Management Centre (CoJDMC) is calling on the residents of the City and its visitors to be observant for changing weather conditions and exercise caution,” the centre said.

Storm precautions for Johannesburg

The centre also released precautions that residents should take to protect themselves from the storm.

This includes remaining indoors as much as possible.

The centre also said that residents should not seek shelter under trees. You should also look out for signs of a tree toppling

“Avoid open and isolated spaces,” the centre said. “Lookout for and do not cross flooded low-lying bridges,” it added.

The city also suggested that social media users only follow trusted emergency and social media accounts. Events like these result in the dissemination of fake news, so the city urges people to avoid forwarding or spreading unverified messages.

You can follow the Disaster Management Centre on Facebook and Twitter.

You can also follow the South African Weather Service on Twitter and Facebook.

If you want to track the storm in real-time, check out our article on how to track storms online.

Feature image: Felix Mittermeier on Unsplash