EThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has conducted a tour of Umdloti to assess the extent of the damage following heavy rains that have battered this north coast community. Homes, roads and other infrastructure have borne the brunt of this weekend’s heavy rains, particularly in Umdloti. 

“We had to prioritise visiting uMdloti given the severity of the damage in this area. Our water treatment plant has been damaged and this will affect our ability to provide water to residents in this area. I call upon residents to be patient as we work speedily to restore key services,” said Kaunda.

Municipal emergency services remain on high alert even though the intensity of the rain in most areas of eThekwini has now subsided.

Various municipal teams are working round the clock to assist communities and to restore key services.

EVACUATIONS
The teams had to evacuate some residents overnight as the rain continued to batter the city. Rain gauge and river level analysis were undertaken continuously to identify vulnerable and high-risk areas. Most rainfall was experienced over north and central areas of eThekwini with Bluff and Umdloti receiving high levels of rainfall. 

A family in ward 40 was evacuated to Kwa-Nozaza temporary mass care centre after their house collapsed.  

About 190 people were relocated from Tehuis to SJ Smith Hall. Mattresses and blankets were provided as a temporary relief. 

Elderly residents in two retirement homes in Tongaat and Westbrook were relocated to safety last night after their homes were affected. Many of them have since returned to their homes. 

ROADS AND STORMWATER 
Various roads were damaged and some were affected by mudslides. Teams were dispatched to remove rubble, trees and mudslides. The amount of rain was extensive and as such the drainage systems were severely affected. Despite this, some roads have re-opened for traffic.

RELIEF INTERVENTIONS
Currently, there are 82 care centres accommodating displaced people across the city. 

Relief interventions are on-going to ensure that all community halls with displaced people are receiving adequate relief assistance, social support services and medical assistance. Our health teams continue to provide health services to care centres, including the newly established centre at SJ Smith. 

Food, non-perishable items, clothing, blankets and matrasses are available to assist those in need.

ELECTRICITY
There has been several outages throughout the city caused by the heavy rains, however, many of them have since been attended to. Electricity infrastructure is still vulnerable since the April floods and any amount of rain can cause further damage to it. Electricity teams are prioritizing fault repairs across the city, specially those faults that affect large areas.

WATER  
The Water treatment works in Umdloti was flooded. Areas such as Mosely Park, Gillits and KwaNdengezi are also affected by water outages. We are still assessing whether these heavy rains had an impact on the work we had already started in oThongathi.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT 
Durban Transport is operating at full capacity even though some areas are affected by road closures. In such cases there will be detours. The People Mover service is operating normally. 

ENDS.
Issued by eThekwini Municipality Communications Unit