The KZN Red Cross is still assessing just how devastating Cyclone Irina has been, especially for people in the northern parts of the province.
It says volunteers have been attending to residents who have had their homes destroyed in the Empangeni and Zululand areas.
Five people have lost their lives in the storm. Four of them drowned in raging rivers across KZN, while a woman died when a wall collapsed on her in Umlazi.
Derek Naidoo from the Red Cross says they are working with municipal authorities to assist people in the affected areas.
So far victims of the natural disaster have been given blankets and food parcels.
"The Red Cross is always looking out for support from the public and companies to assist us in terms of providing relief by donations of food parcels, or cash or blankets to any local Red Cross office," he said.
The SA Weather Service say Irina is now 400km off the coast of Durban but will track back to the province on Thursday.
The storm has killed eight people in Mozambique. Authorities threre have issued warnings for fishermen and bathers not to venture out to sea.
Meanwhile, while Durban has escaped the brunt of Irina, many community members are mopping up following this weekend's torrential downpour.
EThekwini officials say informal settlements like Kenville and Cato Manor had to be evacuated last night due to riverbanks overflowing.
The municipality's Thabo Mofokeng says there was also localised flooding in some areas due to the drainage system clogging.
"The main area that caused a bit of a scare was Amamzimtoti when the river level rose, it got a bit higher, but that was taken care of," he said.
Mofokeng says shark nets have also been taken down as a precautionary measure.
Metro Police have meanwhile warned motorists to exercise extra caution as there may be localised flooding on some of the roads as well as poor visibilty.
- East Coast Radio
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