A TORNADO and blinding rain ripped through several townships near Newcastle on Wednesday night, and the local MP wants them declared a disaster area. More than 100 injured people were admitted to Madadeni and Newcastle hospitals. Details of their injuries are expected later, and it is not yet known whether anyone was killed, or how many people in the crowded townships of Madadeni, Osisweni, and Blaauwbosch are now homeless. African National Congress MP Mbuso Khubheka (Newcastle District) said on Thursday he would ask the KwaZulu-Natal welfare department to declare the storm zone a disaster area. At the moment homeless families are hudding with friends, relatives, and neighbours. Later on Thursday a committee of welfare experts will assess the damage, and they are expected to order emergency tents to shelter those whose roofs have been ripped off.