Jeremie Bukasa holds his hand up‚ raising it to nearly neck height as he illustrates just how much water he and his family had to wade through to get to safety in Newcastle‚ KwaZulu-Natal during flash flooding on Tuesday.
The evangelist and his wife‚ Mbwaya‚ and two children‚ aged 3 and 5‚ had to flee their house amid torrential downpours that lashed the area. They could take nothing with them‚ bolting for safety with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
“I was sleeping‚ along with my wife. My children came to me and told me‚ ‘Daddy‚ come‚ come‚ come! The water is in the house’. I took my children and ran‚” he said on Wednesday.
The family has since taken refuge in a hall in the town‚ along with six other families. In total‚ 54 people are being housed there.
Dr Imran Keeka MPL‚ DA KZN spokesperson on health‚ who visited the town on Wednesday said residents in areas such as Surayaville and Paradise which are close to the Ncandu river were warned of rising water levels.
“There was warning of more rain in the catchment area and that there is the possibility that water levels downstream will rise again. Most families who were evacuated from their homes in those areas have lost their belongings because of the flooding‚” said Keeka.
TMG photographer Jackie Clausen was in Newcastle on Wednesday‚ where roads were still flooded as the rains have simply not abated. One of the roads‚ Sutherland Street‚ was still under water after a river breached its banks. Despite this‚ residents of one house reportedly refused to move and the road is completely closed to traffic.
Provincial cooperative governance and traditional affairs (cogta) department MEC‚ Nomusa Dube-Ncube‚ on Wednesday despatched disaster management teams to Newcastle due to the deluge. Other areas hit include the uMhlabuyalingana and Maphumulo municipalities on the north coast.
“Our focus is on low-lying areas close to rivers that are traditionally prone to flooding. Another concern is dirt roads which routinely become impassable during poor weather conditions. Our assistance to affected communities ranges from emergency relief materials such as blankets to emergency accommodation and soup kitchens.
“With every reported incident‚ our disaster management teams learn to operate more efficiently and‚ as a result‚ we end up responding to disasters faster‚” said Dube-Ncube.
‘Daddy‚ come‚ come‚ come! The water is in the house’
Jeremie Bukasa holds his hand up‚ raising it to nearly neck height as he illustrates just how much water he and his family had to wade through to get to safety in Newcastle‚ KwaZulu-Natal during flash flooding on Tuesday.
The evangelist and his wife‚ Mbwaya‚ and two children‚ aged 3 and 5‚ had to flee their house amid torrential downpours that lashed the area. They could take nothing with them‚ bolting for safety with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
“I was sleeping‚ along with my wife. My children came to me and told me‚ ‘Daddy‚ come‚ come‚ come! The water is in the house’. I took my children and ran‚” he said on Wednesday.
The family has since taken refuge in a hall in the town‚ along with six other families. In total‚ 54 people are being housed there.
Dr Imran Keeka MPL‚ DA KZN spokesperson on health‚ who visited the town on Wednesday said residents in areas such as Surayaville and Paradise which are close to the Ncandu river were warned of rising water levels.
“There was warning of more rain in the catchment area and that there is the possibility that water levels downstream will rise again. Most families who were evacuated from their homes in those areas have lost their belongings because of the flooding‚” said Keeka.
TMG photographer Jackie Clausen was in Newcastle on Wednesday‚ where roads were still flooded as the rains have simply not abated. One of the roads‚ Sutherland Street‚ was still under water after a river breached its banks. Despite this‚ residents of one house reportedly refused to move and the road is completely closed to traffic.
Provincial cooperative governance and traditional affairs (cogta) department MEC‚ Nomusa Dube-Ncube‚ on Wednesday despatched disaster management teams to Newcastle due to the deluge. Other areas hit include the uMhlabuyalingana and Maphumulo municipalities on the north coast.
“Our focus is on low-lying areas close to rivers that are traditionally prone to flooding. Another concern is dirt roads which routinely become impassable during poor weather conditions. Our assistance to affected communities ranges from emergency relief materials such as blankets to emergency accommodation and soup kitchens.
“With every reported incident‚ our disaster management teams learn to operate more efficiently and‚ as a result‚ we end up responding to disasters faster‚” said Dube-Ncube.
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