SA couples tell of cyclone hell
2007-02-27 07:44
Maputo - Six South African couples huddled for 10 hours in a shelter made of tables and mattresses they had lashed together, to brave the worst cyclone in 30 years in Mozambique.
The six couples from Durban were caught in their chalet last Friday when the destructive storm hit Mozambique.
Charis Mathews said the high wind ripped off their chalet's roof, piece by piece.
"One tannie was sitting with the Bible in her hand, studiously reading it throughout."
Speaking from Durban on Monday night, Mathews described their hours of anxiety in the tropical storm.
He's in control of Nissan South Africa's Offroad Tactix, the off-road training club for owners of new 4X4 vehicles, and he was in charge of the group.
Trapped in chalet
The group of 12 left last Thursday on a 16-day field trip to Mozambique.
The annual trip was cut short when the group were trapped in their beach chalet 32km north of Inhassoro on day one.
The resort can be reached only during low tide.
Since Thursday, they had maintained daily contact with the weather office in Durban.
The weather office told the helpless group that they could expect a category-3 cyclone with wind speeds of between 180km/h and 240km/h.
The men immediately stripped all glass from the windows, took the mirrors down and made a little cave of the tables.
"We pushed a 5.5m by 2.5m table against one wall," said Mathews.
"Then we lashed it and other tables together, and packed mattresses and pillows under them to form a cave."
The storm hit Inhassoro at 10:00 on Friday and only began to abate at 20:00.
Took photos of storm
The six women and two of the men took shelter in the "cave", while the others took shelter in nooks inside the house.
"That's where we watched the storm and took photos of it."
The men were able to serve the others with warm drinks and food.
"The wind was storm strength all day. Palm trees were ripped up and broken in half. Coconuts flew through the air."
The veranda roof was ripped off and the concrete pillars collapsed. Rain kept pouring into the chalet.
"You could see 3m to 4m waves."
At 20:00, they went out and prepared beds in the vehicles.
Mathews said although they were afraid, no one became hysterical.
"Two of the women were stressed, but we all believed that we would survive. No one was injured."
Fantastic story to tell
They spent a slightly uncomfortable night sleeping in the vehicles.
With the next low tide, they drove through to Inhassoro.
"One feels relieved after an experience like that," said Mathews.
It's not necessarily something he would care to repeat.
"But, if you survive it, you have a fantastic story to tell.