South Africans in the hard-hit flood zones of KwaZulu-Natal province were warned of another round of heavy rain into Saturday, adding to the misery caused by catastrophic flooding earlier in the week.
The South African Weather Service says that with saturated soils and rivers already bursting from their banks, the latest round of rain may extend the damage to properties, roads and bridges. Mudslides and rock slides also are a threat through midnight Saturday, local time.
A Level 4 yellow warning, also issued for parts of the Eastern Cape, is in place until then.
Authorities say the additional rain is likely to hamper the recovery efforts as emergency workers continue to search for the missing and work to provide humanitarian aid to survivors. At least 341 people have died in the floods, with some remaining unaccounted for.
The rains that began late Monday swamped roadways, stressed dams, and brought towering walls of mud and water down on the city of Durban and surrounding communities along the eastern coast. Parts of the region saw more than 300 millimeters (12 inches) of rain.
Homes and buildings collapsed, while the floods wreaked havoc on the port of Durban, knocking over stacks of shipping containers at the largest facility in sub-Saharan Africa. Durban’s port handles 60% of the container traffic for the nation of South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa toured the damage on Wednesday, joining regional authorities as they assessed the impacts. In his Easter message on Thursday, the president called on Christians, Muslims, and Jewish believers alike to remember the victims during the holidays of their respective faith traditions.
“Our thoughts are with the people of KwaZulu-Natal who are affected by severe floods that have led to the loss of many lives and that have destroyed homes, businesses and public infrastructure,” Ramaphosa said.
“Government is providing assistance to affected communities and we will continue to monitor the situation.”
Image: Government Communication and Information System in KwaZulu-Natal
