ONGWEDIVA – Five learners at Shituwa Secondary School in Endola in Ohangwena Region were treated for minor injuries after their dormitories were hit by a storm on Tuesday evening.
The storm that started between 18h00 and 19h00 damaged four dormitories, four classrooms and uprooted two big trees where teachers usually park their cars.
School principal Hendrik Nghinyengwasha confirmed the incident but was quick to add there was no loss of life.
He said fortunately teachers at the time of the storm had already removed their cars because they had finished work.
“By the grace of God there were no serious injuries, but there was substantial damage to property within the school,” he said.
According to Nghinyengwasha one dormitory roof was blown a distance of 100 meters and damaged three other rooms.
In addition, a corridor which forms part of the ongoing construction was also damaged in the process, however, there was no damage observed on the new hostel currently under construction at the school.
The damaged dormitories were constructed with corrugated iron sheets to temporarily accommodate the learners from far villages until their hostel has been completed.
At the time of the storm the learners were in their rooms and were evacuated to an adjacent hall for their own safety.
“Because of the situation, some learners spent the night in the classrooms,” said Nghinyengwasha.
New Era understands a pole fell on one learner’s bed, however, the learner was not injured.
A team from the education directorate was dispatched to the school to assess the situation.
In addition to the school, the whole township including nearby households were also hit by the storm.
Constituency Councillor at Endola Ferdinand Shifidi confirmed that no lives were lost during the storm.
“The storm fortunately only hit infrastructure and trees, no serious injuries were recorded,” said Shifidi.