Help at hand for displaced in flood-ravaged Port St Johns
For more than a decade, Kevin Pearce of Port St Johns has had to take painkillers every day to relieve his migraines.
Ten days ago, along with hundreds of other residents of the Wild Coast town, he was displaced after his home was flooded on March 23.
Though safe and now staying at the Port St Johns Youth Centre, where he and dozens of other flood victims were relocated, Pearce, 35, has been in constant pain.
Yesterday, health officials gave Pearce a Greens Farm resident replacement medication during an outreach visit headed by health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth.
“I would take two or three Grandpas a day to numb the pain because I have been suffering from migraines for a long time,” Pearce, who survives on odd jobs, said.
“I am proud and happy that today these caring people brought these health services to us. We really needed them.
“Before they came, I was in constant pain because I didn’t have the means to buy medication.
“These will last me a while and I have confidence they will assist me.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the visit, Meth said health officials had been stationed at Port St Johns since last week after the area was flooded for the third-consecutive year.
Officials had visiting affected families and gone door to door to help those in need.
About 70 people were assisted by health officials on site yesterday, while 15 families were visited where they were staying.
The services offered included treatment of minor ailments, family planning and immunising children for measles.
“We felt it prudent to come to see what we could do,” Meth said.
“We were able to bring people’s chronic medication and we are in the process of reissuing immunisation cards for the young ones.”
Meth said the department had approached Vodacom for assistance because people could not take their medication on an empty stomach.
Vodacom Kei County manager Thoko Mandela said: “We thought our intervention should include food and hygiene packs.
“We brought 100 packs today and we are also going to intervene in areas such as Ingquza.”
Mayor Nomvuzo MlombileCingo said efforts were being made to repair damaged roads and bridges.
A total of 35 temporary residential structures had been received by yesterday and were being assembled.
“Relief is coming in terms of blankets and food, but we would also like to say we are trying to make sure the roads are cleared,” Mlombile-Cingo said.
“We are grateful for the help we have received so far.
“The first structure will be built in Ward 5, where a beneficiary is an elderly woman who was born in 1922.
“People need to be permanently moved from the wet areas and we are in talks about this.
“We cannot just uproot them but we need to take them where they would like to go.
“We cannot give a temporary structure to someone who is renting. Those are the things people need to understand.