Prathna Sewprasad (middle) and her four daughters. From left: Anjana, Anjali, Tanishka and Hiranya.
Image: Monishka Govender
Two years after a tornado tore through Tongaat, Prathna Sewprasad still remembers the terrifying moments she thought she might lose everything.
Sewprasad, 29, was at her family home on Krishna Puri Road in Sandfields with her four daughters on June 3. Her husband was working in Ballito.
"I was giving my youngest daughter, who was a year old at the time, a bath, while the three other girls watched television. Heavy rain quickly turned into hailstones. I then heard a loud noise like an aeroplane approaching. It got dark and windy, and the windows rattled. Roof tiles were flying through the air at my neighbour's property. That is when I knew something serious was happening."
Acting on instinct, she grabbed her daughter straight out of the bath and the family fled into a bedroom.
"Our windows shattered. I switched off the gas stove and told the girls to get down between the bed and the cot. I covered their heads with the mattress and pillows, while they screamed in fear. We huddled together as the tornado ripped through our home."
The aftermath of the tornado.
Image: Supplied
"Everything happened so fast. We just prayed."
Moments later, the deafening noise stopped.
When Sewprasad finally stood up, the scale of the devastation became clear.
"The damage was catastrophic. It looked like something out of a movie. We had no windows, parts of the roof were gone, and glass was everywhere."
Remarkably, the room they sought protection in, suffered minimal damage.
"By God's grace, only a small patch of the ceiling came down. The rest of the house was badly affected."
She said they struggled to leave the home.
"Our cupboard and fridge fell, and blocked the door. My uncle and another tenant arrived, and lifted everything so we could escape."
While trying to contact her husband, she fielded numerous calls from worried relatives.
"I could not hear them. I just shouted: 'a tornado happened. Please send help'."
The damaged home.
Image: Supplied
As darkness fell and torrential rain continued, the family sought refuge wherever they could.
"We moved from one place to another because we did not know if the buildings were safe. At one point, we all stood under a piece of asbestos sheeting while the rain poured down."
With floodwaters already ankle-deep and debris scattered everywhere, the family eventually found shelter in a relative's vehicle while waiting for help.
Meanwhile, Sewprasad's husband fought his way through traffic from Ballito.
"When I finally got hold of him, he said he was stuck in traffic. I told him our house had no roof, and that he must come quickly.."
After walking through the wreckage, he eventually reached his family.
"The first thing he asked was: 'how were his girls'."
The family stayed with relatives before renting accommodation nearby.
Rebuilding took months.
"We only moved back around August."
Sewprasad said their home and its contents were uninsured.
"If it weren't for all the sponsors and people who helped us, we probably still wouldn't have a house.
"People donated clothes, furniture, beds and household items. The cupboards in my daughters' room were donated. The couch, mirror and the clock were also sponsored."
Although much has been repaired, the rebuilding process continues.
"We painted the exterior of the house recently. Some rooms still do not have cornices."
For Sewprasad, the emotional impact was just as devastating as the physical destruction.
"This was my family home, where I was born and raised. It started as a small two-roomed house and over the years my family extended it."
Her father passed away nearly two decades ago, and her mother died in 2020.
Sewprasad was grateful that her family survived.
"Houses can be rebuilt. Things can be replaced. I truly believe God protected us that day."