KZN FLOODS CAUSE DAMAGE OF OVER R1BN, PROVINCE WANTS DISASTER DECLARED

The cost of damage to various parts of KwaZulu-Natal following last week’s heavy rains and
localised flooding has run into billions of rand, Premier Willies Mchunu said on Monday.

“The estimated damage currently stands at R1.1-billion, with the
eThekwini damage alone estimated at over R685-million. Railways, roads, houses full of furniture
and personal possessions were damaged and at places destroyed entirely,”
Mchunu said at his Durban offices.

According to Mchunu, the death toll for the floods alone had reached 70
after the body of a young man was recovered in eTshelimnyama near Marianhill.

A total of 1 469 people were displaced and they had to be housed
temporarily in community halls or at the homes of their neighbours and
relatives, he added.

“Over 50 people were injured and had to be treated in hospital. We
continue to search for two citizens who are still missing. Our search and
rescue [efforts] are still continuing in this regard.”

Mchunu added that there had been a total of 235 damaged private homes in
eThekwini. This figure continues to rise.

“Many families have been rendered homeless. In addition to
displacement, many people’s lives were interrupted by power outages, the majority of
which have been attended to.”

Mchunu said the provincial executive had resolved to classify the province a
disaster area, “because the province alone cannot cope with these
incidents”.

“The Provincial Executive has also resolved that relevant
stakeholders must ensure infra-structure that will be utilised
for elections is restored to normalcy without further delays.”

He also urged the public to attend mortuaries in Gale Street, Pinetown and Phoenix, where dedicated staff have
been stationed to assist bereaved families.

“A task team has been appointed to co-ordinate all the support,
including the burials. We want to once again request the next of kin of all the
deceased to visit the mortuaries for identification process so that there are
no delays from the government’s side that will impact on the funeral
dates.”

He added that eThekwini metro set up a dedicated support desk at the eThekwini Disaster Management Centre for all the bereaved families.  https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/kzn-floods-cause-damage-of-over-r1bn-province-wants-disaster-declared-2019-04-29-1