Over 1,000 falcon birds are reported to have been injured or died overnight after a massive hail storm swept suddenly into Newcastle in South Africa, wreaking havoc in the space of just 15 minutes.
So after the beautiful lighting earlier this evening came a devastating hail storm – the worst ever seen for many in Newcastle, South Africa. Besides the terrible losses to people living here (including pets, damage to houses, gardens and vehicles), there was a severe impact on Amur falcon community roosting in the middle of Newcastle. Well over 1000 falcons have been injured (and now in need of rehab) and possibly more are dead!
According to reports, residents of the KwaZulu-Natal town awoke on March 22, 2019, to destruction with car windows smashed and shattered by hailstones the size of golfballs.
One resident, Wisey de la Dàvila told Storm Report SA: “Possibly the worst hail storm I’ve experienced in my 5 years of living in Newcastle, I thought that the house was gonna break down…. It was damn scary. The sound of the Hail and thunder claps, the deluge, the wind, absolutely deafening, I jumped out of bed and sat on the floor. ”
Another resident said: “Newcastle is a disaster area right now. A 15 min hailstorm even broke our kitchen window.”
Tragedy at the Amur Falcon Roost
Tragically at the Amur falcon roost in the middle of Newcastle over 1,000 falcons were left injured and dead. The first man on site reports:
“When we arrived there the devastation was horrible – dead, dying, injured and concussed falcons lying everywhere.“
A fortnight ago another Amur falcon roost was hit by hail in Mooi River, with over 700 dying.
