Wave crashes into Dbn Steers

2007-03-19 08:38

Durban - The beachfront areas were pounded by massive surf in the early hours of Monday morning leaving the city's famed Golden Mile littered with debris as emergency services rescued numerous people.

The National Sea Rescue Institute together with the police's Search and Rescue Unit evacuated nine people from the Isipingo Island hotel at the mouth of the Isipingo river near Durban International Airport.

The SA Weather Service in Durban said winds in excess of 40 knots [80km/h or gale force] were reported on Sunday night.

The heavy weather forced the closure of all port operations in Durban. National Ports Authority spokesperson Jyothi Naidoo said the port had been closed to incoming vessels since Sunday morning and that all departures and arrivals had stopped shortly after midnight.

Evacuations

"It is still closed. There is a five-metre swell and a wind speed of 45 knots at the harbour entrance," she said.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said there was flooding in the area caused by the swelling of the river and strong onshore winds.

"We are identifying the major disaster areas and will be trying to help evacuate people there first."

Lambinon said it had been feared one person had drowned when a car was washed off a bridge in Umkomaas. However, it was later determined that it was empty.

Lambinon said particularly high tides were expected on Monday and Tuesday due to the alignment of the moon, sun and earth. He said this compounded with the strong onshore winds had caused the huge surf.

"This is not a spring tide but all the factors with the strong onshore winds have caused the spring tide-like conditions," he said.

The NSRI's Durban station commander Paul Bevis estimated the swell to be between six and seven metres.

He said Monday morning's high tide was receding so emergency services were now on standby as the situation was under control.

Freak waves

Two women at Durban's popular Blue Lagoon were washed off their feet when a freak wave broke over the bollards and crashed into the parking lot in the early hours of Monday morning.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said the women were taken to Addington Hospital with cuts bruises and lacerations. One of the women was six months pregnant.

The provincial Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) rescued a fisherman who was sleeping on one of Durban's piers while a mother and child who were sleeping under another pier were rescued by a bystander, Botha said.

Staff at the Steers restaurant on the Lower Marine Parade were injured when waves crashed into the restaurant. Netcare 911 and EMRS transported the staff members to various hospitals. None were seriously injured.

"There goes my salary increase," one staff member said as she surveyed the damage.

Security personnel were posted outside the restaurant to prevent looting. Senior police officials were surveying the damage on Monday morning as certain areas were cordoned off from traffic.

One person was injured in Ballito and numerous people evacuated from the promenade area, the NSRI's Lambinon said.

The Vodacom Netcare 911 helicopter was airborne and assisting in determining the extent of the damage.

"Now we are waiting to see what the tides do," he said.

- SAPA