Several areas in eThekwini Municipality have been hit by heavy floods following torrential rains that fell in the last 48 hours. The weather office reported 126mm of rainfall in the Durban south and central, 92.8mm in Virginia between 8pm Saturday and 8am on Sunday.
Affected areas include Isipingo, Umlazi, Chatsworth, Reservoir Hills and Seacow Lake where homes and roads have been damaged. The City’s emergency unit has been inundated with reports and has responded to a number of calls from residents that need assistance.
EThekwini emergency services had received 76 calls by 2pm on Sunday, 09 May 2016, and the Fire Department had responded to all the reports. A one-year-old toddler was killed when a wall collapsed at an informal settlement in D Section, uMlazi, another five-year-old child lost his life in Rafia Road, Chatsworth and a four-year-old was injured in Johanna Road, Seacow Lake.
EThekwini Mayor, James Nxumalo has expressed his condolences to the families that lost their loved ones due to the floods. He encouraged residents to report incidents resulting from the floods to the City’s emergency number before any further damage.
“We have dispatched teams to most areas that have been affected by the heavy rain. Our disaster Management Centre has also been activated to intervene in wards where people have been left destitute due to damage to their homes,” said Cllr Nxumalo.
“We are very grateful for the rain in this time of drought, we encourage people to harvest as much rainwater as possible for use later. It is important, however, that we stay alert, especially motorists that are using heavily flooded roads.
A number of families in informal settlements of Umlazi and a transit camp in Isipingo have had to evacuate as they feared a nearby river that had burst its banks. Other areas affected by the floods are Marianhill and Dassenhoek near Pinetown and Bonella. Emergency teams are on the ground assessing the situation to determine assistance that is required.
Further reports can be made to this emergency services number: (031) 361 0000.
