The Dhanapal family. From left: Chanders, Tia and Shirley.
Image: Supplied
TWO years after the devastating tornado, a young Tongaat woman shared her harrowing first-hand account of surviving the devastation and how it motivated her to pen a book.
Tia Whitney Dhanapal, 22, a software developer, from Naidoo Road in Fairbreeze, was at home with her parents when the tornado hit on June 3, 2024.
“I was off from campus on that day and planning my 21st birthday party with my mum. I was lying on my bed, scrolling through my phone when my dog Zoe began whimpering. I just thought that she was just being dramatic. Then a violent wind suddenly started,” she said.
“Then I heard my father shout my name from the lounge. I ran to him. He was frozen at the window. I looked outside. A massive tornado was spinning in the distance, tearing trees from the ground like they were paper dolls. But, I did not realise was that it was heading straight toward us."
The destroyed home.
Image: Supplied
Despite her panic, Dhanapal attempted to document the unfolding events on her phone.
“I was walking through the passage when I heard the loudest noise ever. It sounded like a plane was about to crash into our house.
“Then the ground began to shake. The doors and windows around me ripped out of their hinges. The ceiling tore open and the sky was in darkness.”
Dhanapal said she felt as if the end was near.
“I believed I was going to die. I wanted to be right beside my parents. I rushed to where they had been standing in the lounge, in front of the window. Before I could blink, the wind shattered the glass right in front of my face. The impact of the tornado obliterated the wall in front of me. I became airborne, with the sofa behind my back. I was thrown across the house. The wall on the other side of the room broke my fall.”
The completed home.
Image: Supplied
She said when she opened her eyes, she was swirling in void of complete darkness, accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder.
“Everything was in the air including the TV, the couches and the kitchen extractor. I could barely open my eyes because sand filled them. Every time I took a breath, I could smell the deep, earthy scent of moist dirt. Debris hit my body from every direction. I could barely move. At that moment, I truly thought that the world was coming to an end,” she added.
Amid the chaos, Dhanapal says she experienced something she believed saved their lives.
“But in those few seconds, I knew we were not alone. Something or someone was holding my dad, my mum, and I down on the ground. As the storm slowly passed, I woke up in a pool of blood, with my injured parents right beside me.”
She said the tornado left a trail of devastation and destruction.
“We lost everything, our home, our personal belongings, and the memories of the last 20 years spent in that house. Even our cars were mashed by the impact of the tornado.”
Dhanapal said for months after the tornado, she suffered recurring nightmares but found comfort in prayer.
She said her faith became her source of strength.
“God never promised we would not get hurt. He promised he would be with us through the storm. He did not part the tornado for me. But He sat in the middle of it with me. And that has been my peace.”
The home after the tornado.
Image: Supplied
She said the local community played a critical role in her family’s recovery.
“I lost my laptop and study material, but the campus was gracious enough to provide me with a new laptop. But the most challenging part was when our house was deemed underinsured by 54% . That became a major stumbling block in rebuilding what was once our home.”
Despite the financial setback, the family rebuilt their home and returned within six months.
Reflecting on the broader impact, Dhanapal acknowledged that many others suffered even greater losses.
She said in the past two years, her perspective shifted from trauma to resilience.
Now, Dhanapal hopes to turn her experience into a source of inspiration for others.
“This experience awakened a desire in me to write a book, Gone in 40 Seconds. In 40 seconds, a lifetime can be lost. But in that same 40 seconds, a new one can be found,” said Dhanapal.