2019 Durban Easter floods

Last updated
2019 Durban Easter floods
Date18–22 April 2019
Location Durban, Ballito, Eastern Cape
Deaths85+
Property damage R  650 million

During the 2019 Easter weekend, the coastal city of Durban, South Africa, experienced severe flooding, caused by torrential rain brought on by a steep upper air trough, which deepened into low pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere, and impacted the city and its surrounding areas starting 18 April 2019. [1] The floods resulted in at least 70 deaths caused by collapsed buildings, mudslides and sinkholes. It was one of the deadliest disasters to hit the country in the 2010s. [2]

Contents

Cause

Weather forecasters stated that the flooding was caused due to a cutoff low pressure system, which is often known to cause severe storms. [2] The South African weather service later revealed that 165mm of rain fell over the city on 22 April 2019, breaking the previous record of 108mm that fell on October 10, 2017. [3] It was also the heaviest rainfall the city has experienced in a 24-hour period since October 30, 1985.

Impacted areas

Flooding, landslides, collapsed buildings and rivers bursting their banks were reported all along the south of Durban, with the hardest-hit areas being uMlazi, eManzimtoti, Chatsworth, Malvern and Queensburgh. Other areas affected include Mount Edgecomb and Virginia airport. King Shaka International Airport, which is further north, reported lighter rainfall during the period, however, this came days after another storm caused significant infrastructural damage in Ballito, which is roughly 20 km south of Stanger. [4] On the south coast, Port Edward recorded, Margate, Pennington and Paddock reported massive rainfall. The Eastern Cape was also hard hit, with Port St Johns recording 190mm of rainfall.

Death toll

By April 25, 2019, acting KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala stated in a press briefing that the death toll has been risen from an initial 51, to 70. It was also revealed that at least 1000 people have been left displaced following the floods. [5] Later on April 25, MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube said that the death toll had now increased to 85. [6]

Reactions

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa said he had been given the green light by National Treasury that there are emergency funds available to assist affected families. "Money will be mobilized to assist our people. These are emergencies that are budgeted for, so resources will be mobilized in the biggest way so that people currently in need are assisted". Ramaphosa was forced to cut short his trip to the African Union Troika Summit in Egypt. [7]

The South African National Defense Force was also immediately deployed in order to assist with flood relief. [8]

Political parties in South Africa later called for the ANC and KZN Department of Cooperative Governance to immediately release disaster relief funds and urgently get to work on rebuilding homes and providing adequate shelter to all the affected communities.

Aftermath

Damage cost

An interim report tabled at eThekwini Metro following flooding estimated the cost of repair to tip over R650 000 000. Following a meeting with the city's Disaster Management Center, the KZN Municipality stated that damages such as storm water pipes, washed away walls and culvert repairs at R248 400 000. Electricity related costs were at R19 530 000 with repairs to 11 substations to be undertaken. The city's health unit estimates costs to be R3 000 000 with the roofs of clinics in a number of areas damaged as well as consultation rooms, which were also flooded. [9]

Flood relief

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), announced an initiative to aid in flood relief in the country by activating the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" on behalf of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDC). [10] Multiple non-profit organisations rallied together to aid with the handing out of food, clothing and shelter to those displaced as a result of destroyed homes, while a crowd-funded initiative raised R24 000 under 20 hours, with NPO's later setting out several drop-off points for the public to assist in sponsoring items to those affected. [11] [12] [13]

Naspers Chief People Officer Aileen O’Toole, revealed that the company as donated R1 000 000 to aid in flood relief and urged other companies to follow through with donations. [14] Coca-Cola South Africa's Regional Public Affairs and Communications Manager, Nolundi Mzimba, revealed that the company donated R600 000 towards relief efforts and that companies will also be partnering with local communities, employees and Plastics SA to help with clean up following the floods subsiding. [15]

Pollution

Following the floods subsiding, Durban acting port manager Nokuzola Nkowane said in a release that operating divisions were carrying out assessments to establish the full extent of damage caused by the storm, and revealed that Durban port's pollution control teams had been on-site cleaning up the debris within port waters, aided by cleanup from other companies. [16] Due to the significant amount of water that was brought on land from the ocean and rivers, several beaches and river boundaries left behind significant plastic pollution resulting in massive uproar from multiple communities of the state of pollution in the country. Greenpeace Africa stated that the Durban Floods have really brought to light the huge plastic pollution crisis in South Africa, and urged communities to begin a cleanup process. [16] [17] The massive pollution in the Durban port also resulted in movement of ships in Durban harbour limited by mass debris pile-up [18] Lindsay Hopkins, project director at Breathe Ocean Conservation, told News24 on April 25, that several organisations that are mobilizing people to assist in cleanups. Cleanup processes were expected to take over a month to complete. [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

oThongathi Place in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

oThongathi, previously and still commonly known as Tongaat, is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Durban and 28 kilometres (17 mi) south of KwaDukuza. It now forms part of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, or the Greater Durban area. The area is home to the oldest Indian community in South Africa, having been where the first indentured Indian laborers settled in 1860 to work in the sugar-cane plantations. Much of the architectural style in the town was the work of Ivan Mitford-Barberton, and many buildings are in the Cape Dutch style of architecture.

eMdloti Place in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

eMdloti, alternatively rendered Umdloti and also known as Umdloti Beach, is a small resort village situated along the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, South Africa. It lies at the mouth of the Mdloti River approximately 24 km north-east of Durban and 11 km north-east of uMhlanga and now forms part of eThekwini, the Greater Durban Metropolitan Municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in South Africa</span> Overview of crime in South Africa

Crime in South Africa includes all violent and non-violent crimes that take place in the country of South Africa, or otherwise within its jurisdiction. When compared to other countries South Africa has notably high rates of violent crime and has a reputation for consistently having one of the highest murder rates in the world. The country also experiences high rates of organised crime relative to other countries.

The M4 is a north–south metropolitan route in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and partially in the KwaDukuza Local Municipality, South Africa. It runs from the N2 at the defunct Durban International Airport to Ballito via the Durban Central Business District (CBD) and uMhlanga. The sections between the airport and the southern edge of the CBD, and between the northern edge of the CBD and the exit to uMhlanga are classified as freeway. On the section from the southern edge of the CBD to the Bram Fischer Street/Soldier's Way junction, the M4 is cosigned with the R102.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Steenhuisen</span> Leader of the Opposition in South Africa since 2019

John Henry Steenhuisen is a South African politician who has served as the twentieth leader of the Opposition since October 2019 and has been the leader of the Democratic Alliance since November 2020, having served as the interim leader for one year from November 2019. He was chief whip of the official opposition from May 2014 until October 2019. Ideologically, Steenhuisen has been described as a classical liberal, a supporter of non-racialism and a firm believer in racial equality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gift of the Givers</span> South African disaster response, non-governmental organisation

Gift of the Givers is a South African non-governmental organisation and disaster relief group, and Africa's largest independent humanitarian organisation. It was established to offer disaster relief and response, together with other humanitarian work, with the aim to reach people worldwide. The organisation’s profile in South Africa grew during the 2010s and 2020s, due to challenges faced by the government in delivering services, including disaster relief.

Edward Senzo Mchunu is a South African politician currently serving as Minister of Water and Sanitation since 5 August 2021. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), he was formerly the Minister of Public Service and Administration from 30 May 2019 to 5 August 2021 and the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal from 22 August 2013 until 23 May 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 South African general election</span>

General elections were held in South Africa on 8 May 2019 to elect a new President, National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province. These were the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994 and determined who would become the next President of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sihle Zikalala</span> South African politician

Sihle Zikalala is a South African politician from KwaZulu-Natal who has been the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure and a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2023, representing the African National Congress. Before his redeployment to the national government, he had been the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal and a Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 South African municipal elections</span> South African municipal elections which were held on 1 November 2021

The 2021 South African municipal elections were held on 1 November 2021, to elect councils for all district, metropolitan and local municipalities in each of the country's nine provinces. It is the sixth municipal election held in South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994, held every five years. The previous municipal elections were held in 2016. On 21 April 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the elections will be held on Wednesday, 27 October 2021. It had been recommend by Dikgang Moseneke to delay the municipal elections until 2022. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) requested the Constitutional Court to support the date postponement. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supported the date postponement while the Democratic Alliance (DA) was against the postponement of the date. The Constitutional Court dismissed the application to postpone the date until 2022, ruling that they had to take place between 27 October and 1 November. On 9 September 2021, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced that the elections would be held on 1 November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bavelile Hlongwa</span> South African chemical engineer and politician (1981–2019)

Bavelile Gloria Hlongwa was a South African chemical engineer and politician from KwaZulu-Natal and a party member of the African National Congress (ANC). She was the Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa from May 2019 until her death in September 2019.

Mohammed Haniff Hoosen is a South African politician who has served as a Member for the National Assembly for the Independent Democrats (ID) (2007–2014) and currently for the Democratic Alliance (DA) (2014–present). Within the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet, he serves as the DA's spokesperson on the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General. He was the Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2019 to 2020. Hoosen was also the Shadow Minister of Home Affairs from 2014 to 2019.

Mervyn Alexander Dirks is a South African politician who has served as a Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature since June 2023. A member of the African National Congress, he previously served as a member of the National Assembly from May 2014 to January 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nomusa Dube-Ncube</span> South African politician

Nomusa Dube-Ncube is a South African politician and former diplomat who has been the 9th Premier of KwaZulu-Natal since August 2022. A member of the African National Congress, she is the first woman to hold the office.

Kwazikwenkosi Innocent Mshengu is a South African lawyer and African National Congress politician who served as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education in KwaZulu-Natal until 11 August 2022 when he was replaced with Mbali Frazer by the new KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube. He served as a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature from May 2019 until February 2023. Mshengu is the provincial chairperson of the African National Congress Youth League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Eloise</span> South-West Indian Ocean cyclone in 2021

Tropical Cyclone Eloise was the strongest tropical cyclone to impact the country of Mozambique since Cyclone Kenneth in 2019 and the second of three consecutive tropical cyclones to impact Mozambique in the 2020–21 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season. The seventh tropical depression, fifth named storm and the second tropical cyclone of the season, Eloise's origins can be traced to a disturbance over the central portion of the South-West Indian Ocean basin which developed into a tropical depression on 16 January, and strengthened into a tropical storm on 17 January, though the storm had limited strength and organization. On the next day, the storm entered a more favorable environment, and it soon intensified to a severe tropical storm on 18 January. Late on 19 January, Eloise made landfall in northern Madagascar as a moderate tropical storm, bringing with it heavy rainfall and flooding. The storm traversed Madagascar and entered the Mozambique Channel in the early hours of 21 January. After moving southwestward across the Mozambique Channel for an additional 2 days, Eloise strengthened into a Category 1-equivalent cyclone, due to low wind shear and high sea surface temperatures. Early on 23 January, Eloise peaked as a Category 2-equivalent tropical cyclone on the Saffir–Simpson scale as the center of the storm began to move ashore in Mozambique. Shortly afterward, Eloise made landfall just north of Beira, Mozambique, before rapidly weakening. Subsequently, Eloise weakened into a remnant low over land on 25 January, dissipating soon afterward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Coast (KwaZulu-Natal)</span> Coastal region in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, better known as the North Coast is a coastal region north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It stretches from Zinkwazi Beach in the north to Zimbali near Ballito in the south. The coastal region is governed by the KwaDukuza Local Municipality, forming part of the iLembe District Municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 South African unrest</span> Riots after Jacob Zumas imprisonment, 9 to 18 July 2021

The 2021 South African unrest, also known as the July 2021 riots, the Zuma unrest or Zuma riots, was a wave of civil unrest that occurred in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces from 9 to 18 July 2021, sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court. Resulting protests against the incarceration triggered wider rioting and looting, much of it said to be undertaken by people not in support of Zuma and fuelled by job layoffs and economic inequality worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic policies. The unrest began in the province of KwaZulu-Natal on the evening of 9 July, and spread to the province of Gauteng on the evening of 11 July, and was the worst violence that South Africa had experienced since the end of Apartheid.

Thembeka Vuyisile Buyisile Mchunu is a South African politician from KwaZulu-Natal serving as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2019. A member of the African National Congress, she served as the Executive Mayor of the Uthungulu District Municipality from 2011 to 2016. She is married to Senzo Mchunu, the current Minister of Water and Sanitation and the former premier of KwaZulu-Natal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods</span> April 2022 flooding in South Africa

In April 2022, days of heavy rain across KwaZulu-Natal in southeastern South Africa led to deadly floods. Particularly hard-hit were areas in and around Durban. At least 435 people died across the province, with an unknown number of people missing as of April 22. Several thousand homes were damaged or destroyed. Critical infrastructure, including major roads, transportation, communication, and electrical systems, were also impacted by the flooding, and this damage greatly hampered recovery and relief efforts. It is one of the deadliest disasters in the country in the 21st century, and the deadliest storm since the 1987 floods. The floods have caused more than R17 billion in infrastructure damage. A national state of disaster was declared.

References

  1. ↑ "Travellers warned as wet weather continues in parts of SA". eNCA.
  2. 1 2 Greef, Kimon de (April 24, 2019). "South Africa Floods Leave at Least 60 Dead" – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ↑ "This week's KZN, Eastern Cape rainfall breaks SA record". www.msn.com.
  4. ↑ "Fierce KZN storm ravages Ballito beachfront, restaurants | Independent on Saturday". www.iol.co.za.
  5. ↑ Aanu Adeoye. "70 people killed in South Africa floods". CNN.
  6. ↑ "KZN floods: Death toll up to 85". News24. April 25, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Durban floods: President Ramaphosa in KwaZulu-Natal assessing damage". April 24, 2019.
  8. ↑ "SANDF remains on standby in flood-stricken KZN, EC". News24. April 23, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Durban floods damage estimated at over R650m". News24. April 26, 2019. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  10. ↑ "UNOOSA activates International Charter for floods and mudslides in South Africa - South Africa". ReliefWeb.
  11. ↑ "Relief funds allocated for Durban floods | Daily News". www.iol.co.za.
  12. ↑ "Almost R25 000 crowdfunded for victims of KZN floods | IOL Business Report". www.iol.co.za.
  13. ↑ "This is where you can donate food, clothes, blankets for #KZNFloods | Independent on Saturday". www.iol.co.za.
  14. ↑ Lourie, Gugu (April 24, 2019). "Naspers Provides R1 Million To Support Relief Efforts Following Durban Floods". Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Coca-Cola pledges R600 000 for Durban flood victims | IOL Business Report". www.iol.co.za.
  16. 1 2 "PICS: Durban harbour, beaches awash with plastic pollution after floods". News24. April 24, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Clean-up efforts at storm-hit Durban beaches". ECR.
  18. ↑ "KZN floods: Movement of ships in Durban harbour limited by mass debris pile-up". News24. April 26, 2019.
  19. ↑ "WATCH: Drone footage shows plastic pollution on KZN beaches". News24. April 25, 2019.
  20. ↑ Hansen, Danica. "Month of cleaning expected in wake of Durban floods".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.