MORE than 200 Soweto families were yesterday given a lifeline after floods washed away most of their belongings last week.

Deliwe Niya, 35, from Nancefield Hostel, came home last Thursday to find her food washed away and her furniture unusable.

Yesterday Niya and her neighbours lined up to receive food, bedding and cooking equipment from the Red Cross and the City of Johannesburg.

Orlando, Klipspruit and Nancefield areas in Soweto as well as low lying areas in Alexandra along the Jukskei river saw hundreds of homes flooded in the past week. Many families were left with only the clothes on their backs.

Red Cross coordinator Mantshadi Moralo said they had set up soup kitchens and delivered clothing and food parcels over the weekend. She said the greatest need after the floods was bedding as many people's furniture had been ruined or washed away.

"When disaster strikes, our challenge is stock. We'd like people to assist especially with mattresses, pots and hygiene packs," Moralo said.

Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo visited the four emergency relief centres in Alexandra, Nancefield, Orlando and Kliptown yesterday. He said the most striking thing about this disaster was the spirit in which people worked together and pledged solidarity with affected families.

Percy Morokane from Johannesburg's Emergency Services said the "zero death toll" was due to the city's thorough preparedness.

"We saved 87 people who were facing death along the Klipspruit river. No other people were reported missing. We had an early warning from the SA Weather Service. We were prepared a week before it actually happened," Morokane said.

He said the EMS went around to all the city's hot spots in low lying flood areas and did hourly checks of the level of the water. Morokane said their preparations included emergency response teams on the ground.