Mozambique: Flooding - Office of the Resident Coordinator, Situation Report No. 3 (as of 4th February 2013)

Highlights

• Coordination activities have been reinforced by the Government with the set-up of a mobile emergency operations center in Xai-Xai, capital of Gaza Province.
• Response in Gaza Province is ongoing. Air drop and air bridges are ensuring provision of humanitarian assistance to people stranded in isolated districts.
• Health and sanitation concerns are emerging in flood-affected districts where water levels are receding, where proper cleaning up and restoration of basic health service are priority.
• In Zambezia and Nampula Provinces (Central and North regions), 15 people died due to heavy rains, which have affected about 60,000 people and caused total or partial damage about of about 6,000 houses.
• Funding requirements for humanitarian and recovery needs in the next 6 months have been estimated at USD 30.6 million in Gaza Province.
  
  
  Full report available HERE
  
  

6 killed, 3 missing in Madagascar cyclone

Image: JTWC

Antananarivo - Six people have died and three are missing after tropical cyclone Felleng raged through Madagascar, the national disaster management agency said on Saturday.

"Felleng has gone, it's now 500km east of [southern] Fort Dauphin. We have accounted for six deaths, three people missing and about 800 people affected in the capital" Antananarivo, Raymond Randriatahina, the agency's executive secretary, said by telephone.

While other parts of the Indian Ocean island were largely spared by the cyclone, Antananarivo, in north-central Madagascar, was particularly affected.

As the waters rose in the Mamba river, many of the capital's homes were flooded as well as several hundred hectares of rice fields, forcing residents to move to tent camps set up by the authorities.

As the cyclone weakened and travelled out to sea, rescue workers on Saturday left the northeastern part of Madagascar and all alerts were lifted.

Felleng had barrelled along the island's eastern and northeastern coast on Wednesday and Thursday, measuring around 400km in diameter and bringing gusts of up to 250km an hour.

Madagascar, off the southeastern coast of Africa, is among the world's islands most vulnerable to cyclones. It has seen 45 cyclones and tropical storms in the past decade.

Cyclone Giovanna and tropical storm Irina last year killed 112 people and affected 90 000.

- AFP

Storm beskadig talle huise in Kroonstad (30 Januarie 2013)

Een mens is beseer en verskeie huise beskadig in 'n storm wat Kroonstad in die noord-Vrystaat gisteraand getref het. Die persoon is beseer toe 'n H-O-P huis ineengestort het. Die volle omvang van die skade sal eers vandag bepaal kan word. Vroeër die middag het die verkeersowerheid in die Oos-Vrystaat motoriste gewaarsku om versigtig te bestuur, ná swaar reën in die Senekal-omgewing geval het. Verkeer op die N-5 was in 'n stadium deur die reën ontwrig. Verlede week het stortreën in Limpopo en Zimbabwe daartoe gelei dat die Limpoporivier sy oewers oorstroom het. In Mosambiek het die dodetal weens oorstromings in die suidelike deel van die land tot 38 gestyg. Sowat 150-duisend mense is haweloos gelaat weens die oorstromings.

- RSG Nuus

Body of missing flood victim found

Polokwane - The body of a 57-year-old man swept away during floods in Limpopo earlier in the week was discovered on Thursday.

Thomas Rampepe went missing in Ha-Kutama, Makhado, on Tuesday after he tried to cross a flooded river while searching for his livestock, Tshilwavhusiku police spokesperson Constable Munyadziwa Thenga said.

"We received a report that the community members, who were also searching side-by-side with police, found his body in the river."

At least 10 people had died in the Limpopo floods in the past week. Three were still missing. Hundreds of people were left homeless.

In Musina, rescue teams were searching for the bodies of two children who went missing on Sunday evening, after their car was washed away when a bridge collapsed. Their father’s body was found partly buried under an uprooted Mopani tree on a nearby farm.

Rescuers were searching for a villager from Shawela, near Malamulele, swept away while crossing a river.

Rescue

Several districts in the north of Limpopo were still cut off from the outside world. Air force and emergency service helicopters were being used to rescue people from some settlements.

At least 95 people had been rescued from the Kruger National Park. Limpopo emergency services had rescued more than 300 people from flooded areas since Tuesday.

Beeld reported on Thursday that about 15 000 crocodiles escaped from the Rakwena Crocodile Farm into the Limpopo River during the flooding.

A few thousand of them were recaptured in the dense bush next to the river and in adjacent orange groves, Zane Langman, the son-in-law of Johan Boshoff, who owns Rakwena, told Beeld.



- SAPA/News24

Floods kill at least 20 in Mozambique and South Africa

MAPUTO, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Floods in Mozambique and northern parts of South Africa over the past week have killed at least 20 people and driven nearly 15,000 from their homes, authorities said on Tuesday.

Mozambique's emergency management commission issued a nationwide alert as it prepared for further flooding in central and southern regions and the possible evacuation of tens of thousands.

Heavy rain has hit the capital Maputo hard, submerging cars and swamping streets in the city's low-lying financial district. At least 12 have been killed nationwide in the floods.

In neighbouring South Africa, the Limpopo River overflowed its banks, inundating streets and destroying homes in the northern city of Musina. At least eight people have been killed and the number was expected to rise, local officials said.

There were no immediate estimates of economic damage from Mozambique or South Africa.

(Reporting by Marina Lopes and Willam Mapote in Maputo and Jon Herskovitz in Johannesburg; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

- Reuters/AlertNet

Raging floods cause havoc in Limpopo

With hundreds of houses and bridges swept away by raging floods - isolating many farming communities - a massive rescue operation got under way yesterday in the Vhembe district of Limpopo.

Two children are still missing after the car in which they, their father and three others were travelling was swept off a bridge between Dongola and the Mapungubwe National Park on Sunday night.

The body of the father was found downstream yesterday morning. The other three occupants were recovering at a Musina hospital, Vhembe district municipality spokesman Matodzi Ralushai said.

About 200 people in farming areas along the banks of the overflowing Limpopo River were cut off when bridges were undermined.

"We have two helicopters, from the defence force and the police, rescuing stranded people," Ralushai said.

"It's a terrible situation we are facing here."

Hardest hit are Makhado, Thulamela and Mutale, where about 170 houses have been washed away.

Ralushai said the biggest problem was providing safe drinking water because water pipes had been damaged.

"From what we are seeing, this is a disaster area," he said.

More than 40 schools were affected as collapsed bridges prevented pupils and teachers from reaching their schools.

Mopani district municipality spokesman Neil Shikwambane said 122 houses were washed away and three people, including two school children on their way home, drowned when they were swept away by an overflowing stream in Sekgosese village in the Greater Letaba area on Wednesday. - Additional reporting by Schalk Mouton

- Times Live

Photos: Real Time Weather Observation: Flooding and General : South Africa (20 January 2013)

Annemaяie Andeяson - Beautiful clouds between Allanridge and Odendaalsrus. Hoping for rain. Farmers need it!

Natalie Nel - Sand River in Louis Trichardt

Natalie Nel - Road to Leshiba lodge +\-30km outside Louis Trichardt

Scorpion. - K9 member in harnass under the chopper during drowning at Tonga.

Nicole Kennedy - Flooding yesterday in Kempton Park

Chrisjan van Aardt - Manyelethi waterfall, #Sabie

Chrisjan van Aardt - Sabie river at Merry Pebbles, #Sabie

Chrisjan van Aardt - #Sabie waterfalls

MPowerFM Radio - Bot Gardens Waterfalls, Sun 20th Jan.

Michael Cronje - Crocodile river waterfall at Lowveld Botanical gardens in Nelspruit after 2 days of rain

Scorpion. - River passing Kanyamazane next to the Track N4 route at Nelspruit.

MPower FM Radio - Crocodile River Malelane Bridge

More images available at: https://www.facebook.com/mpowerfm.radio

Pieta Myburg - Bloemfontein @ 19:22 20/01/2013

Francis Proudfoot Lanham - Taken 20 Jan 2013 at 17h06 from Ultracity outside Estcourt of the heavy cloud I photographed earlier; that is now pouring with rain, pleased it didn't open up while we were driving under it.

Marinda Jooste - Kestell

Joe Bendall - Clouds Golden gate side from Kestell 16h06

Raymond James Phoenix - DURBAN HARBOUR 12.15 HRS 20 JAN 2013

Storm in Ladismith (WK) laat 100 mense dakloos. (17 Januarie 2013)

- : SAWS ( Klik op foto om te vergroot.)

Meer as 'n 100 mense op Ladismith in die Klein-Karoo is haweloos nadat sterk wind hulle plakkershutte vernietig het. 'n Woordvoerder van die Kannaland Munisipaliteit, Hendrik Barnard, sê die storm het ook kragpale en bome omgewaai. Hy sê die slagoffers bly op die oomblik by familie en vriende.

Twee families in die Calitzdorp area is ook dakloos gelaat as gevolg van gister se stormweer. Kospakkies sal vandag aan die haweloses uitgedeel word.

 - RSG Nuus

Storm: Some progress on power supply in Midlands, Kwazulu Natal

There is good news for some Msunduzi residents; power has been restored to more homes in the Midlands after Sunday's massive storm left a trail of destruction in its wake.

Strong winds toppled trees onto power lines, cutting the supply to many areas.

Msunduzi municipality's Nqobile Madonda says the lights in Scottsville, Hilton and Mpumuza were turned back on late last night and this morning.

However, she says it could take a while longer to restore the power to some other areas - as substations and lines were destroyed by trees.

Madonda says teams are working around the clock to repair the damage to the infrastructure.

She says at this stage they're unsure when the problem will be completely resolved.

"We are requesting all residents to be patient with us," she said. "Our electricians are helping us to restore power to all affected areas. Even though some areas are still off, we are working all-out to restore the supply. [The situation] is better than yesterday," she said.

- East Coast Radio News

Pietermaritsburg storm damage to run to millions

Msunduzi officials say the bill for the damage caused by the heavy storm across the Midlands on Sunday is likely to be in region of millions.

The violent winds and heavy rains brought down trees and power lines - cutting off electricity to parts of Pietermaritzburg and Hilton.

The Municipality's Nqobile Madonda says teams have been deployed to areas that have been the hardest hit.

They are hoping mop-up operations will be wrapped up by this afternoon.

Madonda says teams have already begun assisting families whose homes and cars were damaged by falling trees.

"We've got damages to houses and cars that were parked on the road. Trees have been cleared from the road - mostly on the pavements.

"A lot of areas are still without electricity due to trees falling on power lines. We've got contractors helping our municipal staff with regards to the restoration of the electricity supply."

- East Coast Radio News

Families counting the cost of storm

(Above: The Swart's damaged home)

Families and homeowners in the Midlands are still busy taking stock of the damage to their properties after Sunday's severe storm lashed the area.

Trees were uprooted and many homes were damaged or destroyed when strong winds ripped through areas around Pietermaritzburg, Howick, Hilton and Wartburg. The fallen trees brought down electricity cables, leaving many residents without power.

The Swarts, from Albert Falls, are among those who felt the full, terrifying strength of the storm.

The roof of their home was torn off - exposing support beams and damaged walls to the elements.

Ginette Swart says they have been left devastated and have had to move in with family:

"The damage is very bad and there has been talk of just demolishing the whole place. We are meeting the builder there again today just to see what they have to say. But it's really bad, I don't think they can salvage much of that."

Swart has been speaking to Newswatch while returning to the property to salvage some items from the home.

She and her husband, Ryan, were in the house when the storm struck.

"It came from nowhere. Our Staffie got a little bit nervous and it was kind of getting quite dark behind the house. We literally were standing inside the dining room; my husband said 'look at the ceiling, look how it's lifting' and with that he shouted to me that we need to get out now."

More images available HERE

- East Coast Radio News

Mom desperate for a real home

A Durban family has been living in a community hall for four years since their home was destroyed in a storm.

Maria Ngcobo and her three daughters have cooked, bathed and slept in the Inanda Newtown Community Hall, which is used for holding meetings and for religious ceremonies.

Desperate to move into the house promised to her by the eThekwini Municipality in 2009, her situation worsened with the death of one of her daughters last year.

"It was the most painful period in my life. Having no alternative, we had to hold her memorial service in the community hall while a meeting was under way. That's what one has to pay for being poor," she said.

City officials assured her in 2009 that living in the hall was a temporary measure while a new home was being found for her family, Ngcobo said.

"Staying at the community hall for this long is hard. Life is very difficult here. You have to do everything in one open space. You cook, bathe and sleep there. When it's cold, it feels as if you are sleeping under the blue sky," she said.

Ngcobo is doing odd jobs to ensure that her children are fed and educated. Her eldest daughter is a third-year university student.

"She is my hope for getting out of this poverty and misery."

Municipal spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said the city was unaware of the family's plight: "We will find out what exactly happened."

- Times Live

KZN storm: residents still in the dark

Msunduzi Municipal officials are calling for patience as crews clear debris and try to restore power to all areas affected by yesterday's severe storm in the Midlands.

Parts of Pietermaritzburg and Hilton have been left in the dark since about 5pm yesterday afternoon, when the area was lashed by heavy rains and strong winds.

Deputy Municipal Manager Thokozani Maseko says winds of about 70km/h brought down many trees - with several blocking roads into the CBD.

He says restoring the electricity connections to all affected suburbs is also a mammoth task, as trees have caused significant damage to infrastructure.

"The major areas which are affected are those that have high overhead lines supplying the areas, because a lot of trees have fallen on them. The challenge is to clear the lines first, then [it will be] quicker to restore electricity," he said.

Maseko says the fire department was also required to help remove trees in some instances.

"The big challenge is that we're not talking about small trees, we're talking about huge trees which have been in the city for the past three centuries."

- East Coast Radio News

*Photos* Storm wreaks havoc in KZN

Many residents in Pietermaritzburg, Hilton and other areas in the Midlands are picking up the pieces this morning after a devastating storm yesterday afternoon.

The strong winds and heavy rain brought down trees and power lines and caused flooding in several streets in the Maritzburg CBD.

There has been a report of one injury as a result of the extreme weather.

The man suffered minor injuries after a wall collapsed onto him in the KwaMphumuza area.

'Maritzburg residents took to Twitter and Facebook, reporting that the CBD was badly hit - saying trees had come down in Boom, Berg and Greyling Streets.

Photos taken after the storm have been circulating online as well, with some pictures showing flooded streets in the capital.

In Hilton, a resident has told Newswatch an electricity pole crashed down on the roof of her house. She also says electricity cables are lying across the road.

(Above: A street light down in Pietermaritzburg. Colette van Loggerenberg took this photo)

A resident in Seven Oaks says a barn was blown away while in the Albert Falls area the roof of a house was completely blown off.

The storm also caused major electricity outages in Hilton, Howick and Mooi River - with a fire reported at a substation in 'Maritzburg.

More images can be viewed HERE.

- East Coast Radio News

Photos: Storm flattens Midmar Dam Campsite (24 December 2012 )

Image: Storm flattens Midmar Dam campsite

Image: Trees uprooted Midmar Dam campsite

Images: K9 Rescue Pietermaritzburg. via Police Rescue

South Coast water system damaged

KZN officials have urged thousands of residents on the lower South Coast to use water sparingly over the next few days as officials work to repair damaged pipes.

Umgeni Water says supply to the Ugu District has been severely affected after heavy rain damaged pipes that carry water to municipalities there, including Umzumbe, Hibiscus and Izinqoleni.

Umgeni Water's Shami Harichunder says reservoirs that receive water from Umzinto and Mthwalume water works are most affected.

He says officials are working around the clock to ensure that regular water supply is restored within the next 24 hours.

- East Coast Radio

Photos: Weather Observation and Storm Damage: 11 December 2012

Alert South Africa - KZN/DBN/Amanzimtoti Train Accident (derailment) - Goods/Cargo Train

Alert South Africa - KZN/Scottburgh - Picture 1) - Coastal Flooding

IAN-FLYING DUTCMAN - Flooding in Pinetown, New-Germaney Eynden Place

Paul ‏@DurbanFire - Train derailed in Toti pic

Paul ‏@DurbanFire - Flooding Umzinto testing grounds

Paul ‏@DurbanFire - More flooding Umzinto

Benita Enoch - Numerous main and residential roads have been flooded in Durban. Above: Umhlanga; Left: 'Toti; Right: Cato Manor

Graham - Members of the public erecting a safety barrier on R102 Freeland Park Scottburgh Mahlongwana River

Arrive Alive - Nine people were rescued from the flooded Umbilo River in Durban this morning . Reports indicate that nine homeless people were sleeping under the M4 Bridge crossing the river when the flood water trapped them in the middle of the river.

Netcare911 - The river has been drained for the recovery to take place

Netcare911 - Nine people rescued from Umbilo river

Benita Enoch - Durban had some extreme weather this past year. Here's a collage of those days. Do you remember them?

Paul Paul ‏@DurbanFire - Umnini Dam in flood Umgababa area

Flying Dutchman - What was once a small River Horse stream now after the rain in Durban looks like this !

Carin ♡ - 16:25 Greenstone area clouds building up, serious clouds over Germiston (on my way home saw very dark clouds)

ER24 - The section of the road that washed away leaving 13 people deceased

ER24 - 90mm of rain in a short time in #Ermelo area washed this fully laden taxi away after the road disintegrated

Francois Botha - I played around with the original picture and did some cropping to get a better effect.

Ubaids Ibnul - Minutes before the downpour! #Azaadville

Gerrit Naude - Bushlands gravel road next to the farm - Hluhluwe

Eddie Forbes - So sad to see : Umdloti river passes through Verulum on It's way to the SEA . — at Mount Moreland Accommodation.

Pieta Myburg - Trompsburg area @ 12:18

Marna Louw - Middelburg,Mpumalanga around 12:45

Hans - After some rain, the clouds still look the same. Ladysmith KZN

Ian D. Samson - To the north east, possibly over Olivedale, Douglasdale, Fourways, appears to be moving in from the south east today, which is very strange for our rain that's usually from either the north-west, or the south-west.

Pieta Myburg - Bloemfontein @ 19:05

Nicolette Oelofse - Bloemfontein 18h00

Ruan Oelofse - In Bloemfontein. 18h15