Heavy and continuous rain for days caused rivers to burst their banks and wash away buildings and roadways in KwaZulu-Natal, but most depressingly 400 plus people have lost their lives.
Last week’s devastating flooding throughout most parts of KZN is one of the worst natural disasters to hit the country. This disaster for some reason was not well detected by the weather gurus or was it, and if, was it put out to officials, disaster teams, municipalities that KZN was going to bear the brunt of a tropical storm?
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Yes, to my understanding everyone knew that there was going to be rain but not to that extent. This untold destruction and deaths are man-made. One needs to sit back and look into this recent disaster. Yes, natural disasters occur throughout the world with most countries able to detect bad weather approaching in advance.
With weather technology, observational data is collected daily and weather satellites, buoys and other instruments are fed into computerised numerical forecast models. The models use equations, along with new and past weather data, to provide forecast guidance to our meteorologists.
Are South Africans not keeping up or investing in the latest technology to safeguard the country and its people? Or are our politicians there to sit and wait for disasters only to visit the poor and affected with a sad face and make empty promises every year. Too late, we lost more than 440 lives, with another estimated 40 000 displaced.
On many occasions these affected areas were previously hit with destruction. Was anything done? Did they keep to their promise? Who knows?
Infrastructure within the province has failed due to the lack of maintenance and poor drainage systems. Just like the poor infrastructure it has been quite notable with some if not all government entities, which too have sunk and cried for financial backing to keep them afloat.
If the current government and municipalities had continuously maintained the stormwater drains from litter and debris then much of this flooding could have been prevented.
So maintain the current infrastructure or else it will be too late.
Also note, not all falls on our government, it is the responsibility of every single person, yes every single person to clean-up and stop littering period!!! Most importantly stop pushing the dirt, plastic, cans, paper and everything else into manholes. This leads to problems and the ocean reminds us of what sick people we have become once the storm subsides. The coastline was left heavily polluted and is a sad reflection on humans.
A state of disaster has been declared and government has made R1 billion available in relief funding for the flood-stricken province. Let’s hope rebuilding is the number one priority and the relief funds do not enter the hands of thieves.
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