A level 4 storm left a trail of destruction in the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal on Monday. Reports indicate that at least 11 people died and more than 50 were injured.
Heavy rains and strong winds wreaked havoc in different parts of the province, affecting five districts including the eThekwini Metro, Ilembe, King Cetshwayo, Umzinyathi, Amajuba and Umkhanyakude District Municipalities.
oThongathi has been classified as the hardest-hit area with hundreds of houses destroyed. Heavy damage at the Seatides Combined School has raised concern over how a number of children will continue with mid-year exams.
Other areas such as Umgababa, south of the eThekwini Metro, Eshowe, Utrecht, Osizweni and KwaHlabisa have been severely affected. Schools, roads, community halls and health-care facilities were also affected.
The provincial government said that at least 55 people suffered minor to moderate injuries and received medical treatment in hospital, while more than 120 people had been displaced and three temporary shelters have been established where the affected families are receiving humanitarian aid.
Non-Government Organisations including the Red Cross, Al-Imdaad Foundation, Gift of the Givers and IPSS Medical Rescue worked closely with government departments including Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to ensure the provision of hot meals, mattresses, blankets, food parcels and humanitarian assistance.
Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube’s office said heavy rain had damaged transformers and power lines, leaving many areas in the eThekwini Metro without power.
“Repairs have already commenced, and power has been restored in some areas, while work continues to ensure that all areas are fully restored by the end of the week. Overhead electricity infrastructure has been severely impacted this includes infrastructure above-ground such as electricity poles, transformers and overhead lines.”
The premier’s office said that heavy rainfall led to increased turbidity levels in the raw water extracted from the oThongathi waterworks, prompting a temporary shutdown of the facility for several hours.
“The oThongathi waterworks is now operating optimally and water supply is being gradually restored. Residents are urged to continue to heed weather warnings whenever they are issued to minimise the impact and loss of lives.”
Eskom in KwaZulu-Natal said it was aware of widespread outages following Monday night’s storms.
“Due to the large number of faults, customers may experience delays in restoration, but all faults will be attended to as soon as possible.”
Dube-Ncube, who visited the affected areas on Tuesday, said the priority was to ensure that the displaced families receive immediate humanitarian relief and fast-track the restoration of services.
“We have rallied all government departments to ensure an all-hands-on deck approach as we consolidate our rebuilding and recovery plan of action.
“Our aim is to support affected families to rebuild their lives. Assessments are continuing so that work to repair damaged infrastructure can begin. The assessment reports will give us a clear indication of the extent of the damage and funding that will be required.”
Eskom said the affected areas were Newcastle, Dundee, Estcourt, Glencoe, Cato Ridge, Hammersdale, Ndwedwe/ Mizpha KwaDukuza, Stanger, Vryheid, Madadeni, Paulpietersburg, Uitkoms, Park Rynie, Hibberdene, Margate, Kokstad and Port Shepstone.
“Eskom appeals for patience from our customers as restoration may take longer than usual,” Eskom said in a statement.
Customers can report faults or damaged infrastructure to the MyEskom Customer App, Alfred the Chatbot and the Eskom Contact Centre (08600 ESKOM / 37566).
DA provincial leader Francois Rodgers, who paid an oversight visit to oThongathi on Tuesday, said the party was calling for the declaration of disaster areas in regions ravaged by Monday night’s storm.
“We will be writing to the KZN director general to formalise this request.
“The oversight visit revealed total carnage, which claimed lives, left over a thousand people homeless and damaged hundreds of homes.
“More worrying is that the provincial government seems to have learnt few lessons from past natural disasters, like the storm that devastated areas such as Tongaat, the Magwaveni informal settlement, and La Mercy last night,” Rodgers said.
ActionSA KZN leader Zwakele Mncwango said the party had donated food, water and blankets to those affected.
“While we acknowledge this was an unpredictable natural disaster, it is imperative to acknowledge the role that inadequate housing infrastructure played in worsening the damage and displacement.”
The Mercury