The ravaged east of South Africa has been hit by another rain after a catastrophic storm killed nearly 400 people and left tens of thousands homeless.
Flood waters from the deadliest storm in the country’s living memory engulfed parts of the coastal city of Durban earlier this week, tearing down roads, sweeping homes and traps in them, and sinking heavy cargo containers.
Emergency services in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, where Durban is located, were on high alert as weather forecasters predicted more rain over the weekend.
“It’s already raining in some parts of KZN, but it won’t be as fast as it has been in the last few days,” said Puseleczo Mofokeng, a senior weather forecaster at South Africa’s Meteorological Service, adding: “But because the soil is oversaturated with water. , we can still get a lot of floods. “
The provincial government said Friday that disaster management teams are “on high alert to respond quickly to communities known to be at high risk to prevent or minimize the impact of the disaster.” .
Troops, police and volunteer rescue workers work from a small civilian airport, which is commonly used for air shows and pilot training. NGOs are working to distribute clean water, and authorities have promised to deploy water tanks.
Sean Herbst of first aid company Netcare 911 said: “Unfortunately, there are still bodies that are retrieved from households, especially in rural areas.
“There is still damage, especially with the rain we are experiencing today, which is worsening the damaged areas.”
The death toll on Saturday rose by three to 398, while 27 people are thought to be missing, a government statement said.
The floods destroyed more than 13,500 houses and completely destroyed about 4,000. Thousands of displaced people are in shelters scattered around the city.
In a church speech marking Good Friday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on people to pray for all those affected by the floods. He called the floods “a catastrophe of enormous proportions … unprecedented in our country.”
He added: “Just as we thought it was safe to get out [the Covid] disaster, we have another disaster, a natural disaster that is falling on our country. “
Earlier in the day, during a visit to heavily affected areas of KwaZulu-Natal, the president said the disaster was a direct result of the climate crisis, but some communities blamed poor drainage and infrastructure for exacerbating the damage.
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The government has announced 1 billion rand (52 million pounds) to fund emergency aid.
The South African Meteorological Service warned of thunderstorms and floods in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday night.
More than 4,000 police officers have been deployed to help with the relief effort and to maintain law and order amid reports of looting.
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