South Africa | More than 440 dead after floods, rains see a lull

(Durban) Nearly rainless skies on Sunday appeared to offer some respite for South Africa, whose east coast was hit by floods that claimed 443 lives, according to a new toll, with dozens still laying disappeared.

Most of the victims were recorded in the region of Durban, a port city of 3.5 million inhabitants in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) open to the Indian Ocean and where heavy rains have been falling for a week causing floods and deadly landslides.

“The death toll now stands at 443,” provincial minister Sihle Zikalala told a news conference. Some 63 people are still missing.

The rain was still falling in some places, but insignificantly compared to the previous days. “The risk of flooding is low in KwaZulu-Natal today,” said forecaster Puseletso Mofokeng of the National Institute of Meteorology. “The precipitation will dissipate completely by Wednesday and through the end of next week.”

In recent days, ministers and traditional leaders, Zulu King Misuzulu Zulu and President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has postponed a trip abroad, have been on the ground to assess the extent of the damage and support the bereaved.

Families have been decimated, losing several members in a matter of seconds. Children and babies have died, drowned or buried in mudslides.

On this Easter Sunday, calls for prayer for the victims multiplied during religious gatherings.

“This is a tragedy of overwhelming proportions,” said Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town and successor to Desmond Tutu, referring to “stress and pain” for the community.

Fewer calls

The emergency services are still on alert, but they receive fewer calls. “The number of flood-related cases has gone down,” said Robert McKenzie, who is part of the relief.

A team was in the morning in the suburb of Pinetown. A house collapsed overnight. “Fortunately, the flood waters have receded and some roads are cleared, which makes access easier,” explained the rescuer.

Nearly 340 social service representatives have been deployed to provide psychological support in the impacted areas. Food vouchers, school uniforms and blankets continue to be distributed.

More than 250 schools have been affected. Nearly 4,000 houses razed, more than 13,500 damaged. Many hospitals, heavily used for the wounded, have been degraded.

The authorities expect hundreds of millions of euros in damages. The region had already experienced massive destruction in July during an unprecedented wave of riots and looting.

The poorest in the townships have been hit hard by the weather. Houses made of sheets of corrugated iron or simple planks of wood, often built on unbuildable and flood-prone land, did not last long in the deluge.

In some parts of the province, water and electricity have been cut since Monday. Desperate residents were seen carrying buckets of water on roadside carts. The food is missing, what was left rotted.

Donations are collected across the country, especially in fire stations. Pasta, preserves, covers. Emergency government aid of 63 million euros (one billion rand) has been announced.

Every year, the hurricane season from November to April unleashes storms in southern Africa. Countries like Madagascar or Mozambique are regularly hit by deadly storms. But South Africa is generally spared.