| For anyone living in the Natal Midlands, or to be | | | | started raining on Tuesday. Most uncharacteristic |
| politically correct, the KwaZulu-Natal area of South | | | | for the month of June, those light rains, turned in |
| Africa, the last week of June 2007, will be | | | | to steady, harder rain, right through the night. |
| remembered for many years to come. The | | | | What started as a welcome relief and the end to |
| extreme weather conditions experienced in the | | | | the fire dangers, now threatened those same |
| area, led to total devastation, to many of the | | | | people, who had been left homeless. The rainy |
| residents, mostly farmers and their staff. | | | | conditions continued and the highest rainfall ever |
| As if the recent strike action by all government | | | | recorded in June, turned to cold and misty |
| departments, hadn't already caused enough chaos | | | | conditions. Farmers were now unable to repair |
| in their lives, with the closure of schools, the | | | | damaged fences and buildings, animal carcasses |
| disruption of mid-year exams, the evacuation of | | | | that were caught in the fires could not be |
| hospitals, the stoppage of any maintenance work | | | | removed and their staff, were unable to find dry |
| and the desire of the police and prisons | | | | and warm conditions, in their fire ravaged homes. |
| department to join the strike action, Mother | | | | But, Mother Nature was not finished yet. These |
| Nature had the last word. | | | | poor people woke up, the next morning, to |
| Friday, Saturday and Sunday were pretty hot, for | | | | snowfalls. The snow continued and some of the |
| this time of year and as usual, fire warnings were | | | | heaviest falls in history, were recorded. It even |
| issued. It was normal in the dry conditions, to | | | | snowed in Johannesburg, for the first time in 26 |
| have several fires each day and the forestry | | | | years! Many people, already left homeless, were |
| industry in particular, are always on full alert, at | | | | now forced to contend with freezing conditions. All |
| this time, every year. | | | | of this, in the space of only one week! |
| What was not expected, was the gale force | | | | The area was declared a natural disaster and the |
| winds, that developed and reached utterly | | | | army was called in, to assist with tent towns, |
| devastating proportions. The winds started on | | | | feeding schemes and to facilitate the disposal of |
| Sunday night, but were not unusually strong. They | | | | the dead animals. In one incident, eight horses |
| continued throughout Monday, reaching some the | | | | were trapped by fences and a bulldozer was, |
| highest speeds, ever recorded in the area, by | | | | through the terrible heat, unable to get close |
| Monday night. What started as normal fire | | | | enough to help them escape. They all perished in |
| warnings and alerts, soon became emergencies, | | | | the fire. Apparently the heat was so severe, that |
| as huge fires spread at terrifying speeds. Extra | | | | the deep root structure, of trees and plants and |
| fire crews were brought in, to help control all | | | | grass, was so severely affected, that it will take |
| these fires and just when the tired firefighters | | | | several years to mend. |
| thought they had won the battle and could get | | | | There is no doubt, as to who is in charge, in this |
| some well deserved rest, the heavy winds | | | | world and it certainly isn't man! What causes |
| started and transformed quiet, smouldering ashes, | | | | these extreme conditions and why? Well, the |
| into raging infernos, that ran through plantations | | | | people of the Midlands, will be asking this question, |
| and grasslands, completely out of control. There | | | | for some time to come. From hot Summer |
| were many stories of threatened families, burnt | | | | weather, to extreme winds, to heavy Winter |
| out houses and urgent evacuations. Thousands of | | | | rainfall, to heavy snowfalls and then to bitterly |
| Hectares were burnt out and families left | | | | cold conditions, all in one week, has really taken it's |
| destitute, particularly in the Underberg area and in | | | | toll on the area, but fortunately no known human |
| the Karkloof, to Curry's Post area. | | | | deaths, were reported. |
| Imagine how pleased these people were, when it | | | | |