Floods ravage North Coast communities, 5 dead and 3 missing [Watch]

Lives, livelihoods, homes and possessions worth millions have been lost in the worst floods experienced locally since 2016.

Five days of heavy rain put pressure on both public and private infrastructure until the proverbial levee eventually broke in most areas between Umdloti and Zinkwazi.

So far, 4 deaths have been confirmed locally, but this number is likely to change with about 20 people currently missing or presumed dead.

By Tuesday afternoon, 45 deaths had been reported in KwaZulu-Natal.

Four bridges are either partially or completely destroyed amid unprecedented water levels hurtling downstream in the uMdloti, Tongaat, uMhlali and Tugela rivers.

Chief among these was the Tongaat bridge on the M4 which looked set for imminent collapse on Tuesday, but other bridges in Tongaat and Nonoti had also been washed away.

In Ballito, Salt Rock and Sheffield no complete home losses were reported, but multiple sinkholes have caused damage to homes and roads. Many partial collapses occurred, with families losing retaining walls, balconies and outside areas.

Ballito Fire Department’s disaster management dispatcher, Jason Naicker said they had been inundated with callouts since Monday.

“At the moment (Tuesday morning), we still have 20 people missing. Walls have collapsed on people and many still haven’t been found,” he said on Tuesday morning.

He added many of the areas which desperately needed assistance could not be reached owing to blocked and collapsed roadways.

“We woke up last night to water streaming into our home,” said Jacqueline Drive resident, Michelle Ferreira.

Her daughter, Lee, rushed to get the dogs from outside to bring them upstairs with the water already level with the windows on the lower floor.

The pool had been filled to the brim with mud.

Michelle, who relies on her car to take her 77-year-old mother to the hospital on frequent occasions, discovered her car had also been flooded this morning (Tuesday).

At the beachfront, Hops restaurant had also been flooded.

Still suffering from the restrictions imposed to manage the Covid-19 pandemic, Hops manager Ivan Kuppasamy said they estimate a loss of R100 000 in food stock alone.

“That’s not even taking the repair costs of the electrical repairs into account,” Ivan said.

In Umdloti, the hilly nature of the town led to most of the homes and complexes on the north side being affected, some to a serious degree.

La Mercy – historically a hotbed for floods and landslides – again saw destruction, with many low-lying homes in knee-deep water.

The community received 249ml of rain since Friday evening alone, putting infrastructure at risk.

Similarly, Shakaskraal’s longstanding drainage issue was once more highlighted when the Umhlali River burst its banks.

“This has been a problem since 2007, where the main road (R102) just fills with water when heavy rains come. I should have had 1 000 customers over the past 3 days but have had less than 10.

This is really hurting me,” said Sagadoevan Subramaney, who runs a vegetable shop near the taxi rank in Shakaskraal.

Although flash floods are difficult to counteract, many of the major issues could have been avoided by forward planning, said ward 22 councillor, Privi Makhan.

Speaking at the site of a sinkhole at Colwyn Drive in Sheffield, Makhan said infrastructure had not matched the rate of development.

“We have been lobbying civils for years to make forward-thinking infrastructure plans. Many of these issues could have been avoided by smart planning. The cost of repairs, which are going to reach tens of millions, will surely outweigh what could have been spent to prevent them,” she said.

Elsewhere across the North Coast, multiple informal settlements had to be evacuated on Sunday and Monday, given that many of them are situated along bursting river banks.

This was exacerbated by the release of water from Hazelmere Dam, which had to dump water to prevent damage to the ongoing work to raise the dam wall.

One such affected community was the Coniston settlement, south of Verulam on the uMdloti River, where hundreds of families were evacuated on Sunday.

In other less formalised communities, including Etete, Hambanathi, Gledhow, Groutville, Thembeni and Shaka’s Head, many homes were flooded and lost.

“I am renting a one-room facility in Shaka’s Head with 2 kids. The bed is wet and the kids will sleep on the remaining dry part of the floor. I guess I’ll sleep sitting on the chair,” said Andiswa Mgcine.

It is going to be a long rebuilding process in all communities of the North Coast, but particularly for those who cannot rely on insurance and the use of other homes.

Clean-up operations are likely to begin on Wednesday and Thursday when the rain subsides, while there are already collection programmes under way.

The office of KZN premier Sihle Zikalala, has enlisted the help of the South African National Defence Force to help in search and rescue operations, as well as clean-up activities.
More rains are still expected this weekend.

Residents are urged to exercise caution.