The South African Weather Service says cyclone Dineo is already in Limpopo and Mpumalanga which has been experiencing rain since this morning.

“We haven’t heard anything about damage being done to anyone’s property but we know that it is already at certain escarpments,” says Madimetja Thema – forecaster at the Weather Service.

The storm hit Mozambique at winds of 130km/h on Wednesday, and residents in Mozambique uploaded videos of the damage done, including the destruction of building structures, the damage of cars in floods and the destruction of poorly constructed houses.

While the cyclone has lost its vigor and has been downgraded from a tropical cyclone to tropical depression ex, the South African Natural Disaster Center has urged people to stay alert and emergency services in predicted danger zones are still on standby.

Dineo is expected to move to Zimbabwe and Botswana over the weekend and fade out in Namibia.

Here are tips from a variety of online sources on how to keep safe when there’s a cyclone:

  1. Withdraw money to last you a few days because ATM machines will be down if the electricity is lost. 
  2. Stay away from low-level, flood-prone areas. 
  3. Always stay indoors during a cyclone because strong winds will blow things around. 
  4. Leave informal structures and go to a shelter. 
  5. If your home isn’t on higher ground, go to a shelter. 
  6. If emergency managers tell you to evacuate, then do so immediately. 
  7. Keep constantly updated by listening to news updates. 
  8. Take pictures of your home before and after the storm for insurance purposes.