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