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With at least 306 dead, the toll continues to rise after heavy rainfall that lasted for several days in KwaZulu-Natal province. On Wednesday, April 13, on site to inspect the damage, President Cyril Ramaphosa went to meet the relatives.
With our special correspondent in KwaZulu-Natal, roman song
Trevor strives to keep smiling despite all his setbacks. No life was lost in his family, and it didn’t go far: a landslide nearly knocked his house away.
† Monday night I was in my room watching TV when we heard a loud noise. I opened the door to take a look: the front yard was gone, we only had two steps left, then the void. It’s the first time it happens and it’s scary. We’ve had heavy rains in the past, but not like this “, he explains.
► To also read: South Africa: Heavy rainfall causes deadly flooding in KwaZulu-Natal
Like many South Africans, Trevor has no insurance. All repairs will have to be paid out of pocket. The damage in KwaZulu-Natal province is enormous, said Shamlin, chairman of a vigilante group in a coastal town. † Houses were swept away, drivers were swept away, cars were stuck in the mud, there were landslides. And we’re only on day two. The more they clean up, the more risk we are of seeing the damage and discovering bodies. he complains.
On social networks, families give their phone numbers to help find relatives, in the hope that the absentees have been brought to safety.
Calm is gradually returning to Durban
President Cyril Ramaphosa was in the area on Wednesday to assess the damage. Due to the milder weather, the city of Durban and the surrounding area has started to blow. It is the last night of the patrol for the civilian brigades guarding the entrance to the highway that borders the Indian Ocean. The road was supposed to reopen, but was closed after being flooded for several days. Containers floated there before they washed up on the road. President Cyril Ramaphosa has also flown over these industrial areas where the containers have been scattered like dead wood on the beach by the currents. An impressive image that he photographed.
Despite some blocked roads, traffic is possible, the airport has remained open. The provincial cooperative administration department is calling for patience, municipal services such as electricity, water and waste collection have resumed in some places, but the teams are extremely tense. This is also the case with morgues whose morgue vehicles are almost ready to collect the bodies, it is the police who have to take care of them in some places. We must act quickly as the rain should return on Friday and for five days.
