Mopping up after massive storms
Sunshine predicted but warning to ‘be vigilant’
THE DEPARTMENT of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs has urged South Africans to be cautious and vigilant following recent heavy winds and rainfall. “Government will continue to endeavour doing everything possible to assist communities, but we urge everyone to be extremely vigilant, especially in the coming days and beyond, amid the heavy rains still expected,” said minister Des van Rooyen.
Severe rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms which resulted in major flash flooding in some parts of Mpumalanga, coastal KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng has left a trail of destruction and power outages.
The rains negatively affected a number of households, especially in informal settlements. Bridge structures and roads have also been damaged, and communities in some provinces have been displaced.
At least eight people died in KwaZuluNatal and five hospitals were damaged. A person also died in the Gauteng storms.
“We convey our heartfelt condolences to those who have lost their loved ones due to the current conditions, you are in our prayers”, said Van Rooyen.
The department said the South African Weather Service had indicated that the system that caused the bad weather had moved to the east and most of the areas affected could expect sunshine.
“Due to the magnitude of the incidents, disaster management teams will continue to be on alert across the country, especially in areas where more rains are expected,” said the department in a statement.
“The National Disaster Management Centre is in contact with provincial and local disaster management teams on the ground to monitor the situation and give support.” – ANA