South African president declares a state of disaster due to heavy floods

South African president declares a state of disaster due to heavy floods. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has declared a national calamity and ordered a series of measures in response to the disastrous floods caused by rain in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal. 

It has killed over 400 people, left others missing, and displaced over 40,000 people (KZN).

The declaration of a new state of calamity comes just a fortnight after Ramaphosa proclaimed the end of one that had been in place for more than two years owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The floods came after four days of great torrential rain, which Ramaphosa blamed on climate change on Monday.

Even though a provincial state of emergency was proclaimed in KZN last week, the president said the flooding had interrupted gasoline lines and food supplies to the entire country from Durban, South Africa’s principal port of entry and the continent’s largest.

Heavy rains in recent days unleashed floods and mudslides in KZN, killing more than 400 people. Rescuers looked for dozens of individuals still missing.

Thousands of people have been displaced by the floods, also affecting operations at Africa’s largest port, Durban.

There were also hints, according to Ramaphosa, that looming bad weather conditions could hit neighboring provinces.

He claimed that this had forced the country into a condition of calamity.

Several highways and bridges have also been wrecked, and the defence force has been entrusted with assisting in the infrastructure reconstruction.

The national state of disaster, according to Ramaphosa, will allow for the mobilization of more resources, skills, and technical experience in providing relief, recovery, and rehabilitation to impacted areas, with national, provincial, and municipal governments cooperating to meet the challenges.

He announced a three-part response strategy to the crisis.

“First and foremost, we will concentrate on emergency humanitarian assistance, ensuring that all affected individuals are safe and that their basic needs are satisfied. Second, we’ll concentrate on stabilization and recovery, including rehousing those who have lost their houses and resuming service delivery. Third, we will repair and reconstruct as many areas as possible, including infrastructure,” Ramaphosa said.

“I have authorized the South African National Defence Force to send in additional people, water storage and purification supplies, and engineering teams to assist with electricity and water restoration,” he said.

The president stated that plans are being made to supply temporary housing units, with construction anticipated to begin by this week.