Strong winds blow off Old Pumula house, man injured

Bongani Ndlovu,[email protected]

A man was injured after strong winds blew off the roof of his house in Old Pumula, Bulawayo, on Friday night.

The Bulawayo Fire Brigade attended to the incident on Saturday morning after receiving a call about the damage and temporarily covered the exposed section of the house with a tarpaulin.

Bulawayo Chief Fire Officer Mr Mhlangano Moyo confirmed the incident, saying the injured man, identified as Mr Sibanda, was conveyed to hospital for treatment.

“A house had its roof blown off by strong winds. It’s in Old Pumula. One male adult, a Mr Sibanda, was injured and conveyed to hospital,” said Mr Moyo.

Pictures from the scene show firefighters using a ladder while securing a large blue tarpaulin over the damaged roof as a temporary measure to protect the house.

Mr Moyo said the incident should serve as a warning to residents to prepare their homes as the rainy season approaches.

“We are approaching the rainy season and we encourage residents to conduct regular roof inspections before the rainy season begins,” he said.

He urged residents to check for damaged trusses, cracks and deteriorated connections, trim nearby trees that could fall onto rooftops, strengthen roof-to-wall connections, secure roof edges and corners, and attend to and clean their front drainages in preparation for the rainy season.

“Soon we will be attending to flooded premises,” said Mr Moyo.