Damaged infrastructure is the footprint left behind after a storm that swept through eMalahleni on Friday night. The storm also compounded the water crisis in the city, where residents have to take turns to have water, after a pump station flooded.

Fallen trees, washed-away walls, broken roof tiles, and damaged cars are all signs of the severe storm that passed through the city.

Councillor Salomie Kriel from Ward 18 said Victorian Heights Security Complex in Paul Sauer Street was the most affected.

“A carport fell on parked cars and caused thousands of rands of damage,” Kriel said.

A member of the mayoral committee who also stays also suffered damage when a wall at her house collapsed.

Kriel said she counted eleven fallen trees in her ward.

She drove through the ward to assess the damage and she said her heart broke for the families who were trying to dry up the muddy water in their houses.

“My heart broke for those families. All the reports that were received were immediately forwarded to the disaster management team who started with a clean-up early this morning,” Kriel said.

In Ward 20 councillor Maureen Scheepers did her rounds yesterday morning. She is concerned about the low-lying bridges in Second Street, Raadsaal Street, and Libertas Street Beit Street which were blocked with debris.

“I went out for oversight in my ward this morning and I was shocked to find the Ada Bridge damaged and completely blocked by debris,” Scheepers said.

“The bridge in Second Avenue collapsed for this very same reason a few years ago. The new bridge took seven years to be reconstructed and was completed only a year ago. There are three other bridges in Blancheville and they are all currently blocked with tree stumps and branches.

“The stormwater drains surrounding the bridges are either blocked, overgrown or have collapsed. This is another disaster waiting to happen,” Scheepers said.

The storm also did not do any favours to the water crisis the city is currently experiencing.

“The main command pump station at Point D is out of operation due to flooding wherein all the equipment was damaged. Clean-up operations are underway, and replacement of the damaged equipment is to be undertaken,” said the municipal communication team.

The damage to the command pump station will have a significant impact on the provision of water supply to communities and the system recovery will be prolonged.