The devastating floods that caused mayhem and destruction across Durban over the weekend have put added pressure on government to declare a state of disaster across KZN.

Government said that five people have died in eThekweni and, so far, two people are missing, presumed washed away by floodwaters.

The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) said the severe storm system left a trail of destruction in eThekweni, KwaDukuza and Ndwedwe.

Yesterday, emergency services from the police, affected municipalities and private companies continued their search and rescue operations following Saturday night’s storm that resulted in houses and roads being flooded, landslides and cars washed away.

Areas that were affected included Stanger, Verulam, Tongaat, Phoenix, Umhlanga, Umdloti and some parts of Durban South.

As homes and roads started flooding, residents were forced to evacuate. Many of the areas affected were plunged into darkness due to damage to electrical infrastructure.

Yesterday, many roads, bridges and intersections including Ridge Road, the M4 and M41 bridge road and multiple roads in Umhlanga remained closed due to sinkholes, and parts of the road being washed away.

Ward 35 councillor Nicole Bollman said that multiple suburbs in Umhlanga were affected by the storm. Many residents have been left in disbelief over the damage to their properties and have been trying to assist each other with recovery efforts.

“There are many areas with several roads that have been closed due to a substantial number of sinkholes. During our oversight visit, [we saw] parts of roads washed away; those roads had to be cordoned off.

“In La Lucia, one resident was shocked over the damage to his property on which he recently spent at least R4m in renovations.

“In another suburb, we had to evacuate 10 houses. Residents are joining each other to help where they can. There are areas with no electricity or water and some areas do not have both.

“We have seen eThekwini working to restore electricity and water to areas as best they can. Right now, it is really bad, it is like taking one step forward and 10 steps back,” said Bollman.

Ward 59 ANC councillor Nkosiyezwe Mhlongo said it is devastating that a mother and her four-year-old child died when their house collapsed during the storm.

“There has been terrible damage to many houses and the infrastructure of the area. We have opened two centres for the community to stay in. We are saddened by the loss of two people in our ward, they were sleeping when the storm started. We are calling disaster management to step in and assist the family,” said Mhlongo.

Ward 60 councillor Yogis Govender said that in Tongaat the damage included mudslides, damaged property, vehicles that were washed away and submerged bridges. She said the area is always affected by flooding as it is situated on a floodplain.

Two people are unaccounted for in Verulam. The residents have been left without water and have to rely on a tanker along with contending with the damage to their properties. Verulam had massive road closures, mudslides and electricity outages.

The surprise storm and magnitude of the heavy rainfall came as a shock to residents and community groups, who claim neither the South African Weather Services or eThekweni’s disaster management services issued any storm and flood warnings to communities.

“Dozens of calls to the emergency call centre went unanswered and in some instances emergency services simply said they could not access northern areas like Verulam and Tongaat due to flooding. This is in stark contrast to community and private search and rescue efforts on the ground. They worked tirelessly until the early hours of the morning assisting in the pouring rain and flood hazard areas,” said Govender.

KZN Cogta said disaster response teams are working with communities and providing relief aid including blankets, mattresses and ‘B-Boxes’, which contain personal hygiene items.

The metro has despatched water tanks to affected areas and work teams are clearing debris from roads and removing fallen trees.

Preliminary reports indicate that in eThekweni metro, 250 households and 1 000 people [are] directly affected at this stage; 70 households and 300 people in Kwadukuza and a further 70 households in Ndwedwe, Cogta said in a statement.

KZN Cogta MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi said she is devastated at yet another deadly weather-related disaster in KZN and that her department is co-ordinating response and relief efforts with the municipalities, Eskom, and the departments of social development, home affairs, human settlements and education to provide a ‘comprehensive response’.

Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) said they received 175 calls for assistance from residents of northern Durban and surrounding areas.

Rusa’s Prem Balram said yesterday afternoon that they conducted a search and rescue mission with a helicopter for stranded and missing flood victims.

“We received multiple calls from people who needed assistance. Due to damaged infrastructure, no contact has been made with hundreds of people living in low-lying areas. The pilot and crew will continue searching areas that have been severely affected by the storm.”

Members of Rusa and other private emergency services worked through the night responding to calls for help, with people being rescued from trees and semi-submerged vehicles.