Twenty-eight people in the iLembe district have so far been confirmed dead because of this week’s devastating floods.

According to KZN premier Sihle Zikalala, 395 deaths have been recorded in the province so far,  but the government is still in the process of determining the number of missing people.

Providing an update about the flood disaster today, Zikalala said 40 723 people have been affected, 55 injuries registered and more than 248 schools have been damaged.

“We visited the worst affected districts such as eThekwini, iLembe, Ugu, Uthukela, uMzinyathi and uMgungundlovu.

“We can confirm that the magnitude of the damage, which is still being quantified, will run into billions of rands,” said Zikalala.

“As warnings were received about the torrential rains, the KZN government, through its provincial disaster management centres, heightened activation and placed all disaster teams on high alert.

“As the incidents unfolded, the teams moved into action swiftly, and worked closely with councillors and local leadership structures to facilitate the relocation of communities in distress to safer facilities,” Zikalala said.

“This was perhaps one of the biggest disasters in the living memory of our province.

“The level of devastation to human life, infrastructure and service delivery networks in the province has been unprecedented.”