Members of the SANDF were roped in to help the emergency response teams as heavy rains wreaked havoc across KwaZulu-Natal.
Motorists have been urged to be extra careful on the road after a number of bridges and roads were washed away, while others remained waterlogged on Sunday morning.
The heavy rains, which started on Friday, caused severe damage to infrastructure across the province, especially in the eThekwini region.
One of the severely affected areas, uMdloti, saw a number of landslides on Saturday night which resulted in parts of buildings and roads being washed away. This resulted in some residents fleeing the area to seek shelter elsewhere.
It is reported that a bridge on Stockville Road, in Pinetown, was washed away on Saturday night, while parts of Isipingo remained inaccessible due to flooding. A number of KZN roads were also closed due to mudslide and others were blocked by trees and poles that fell on them on Saturday evening.
There storm also damaged water pipes in the northern parts of eThekwini.
Umdloti is the worst affected it would seem.
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Part of a thread... #KZNFloods #DurbanFloods #KZNFloods2022 #KZNFlooding Durban pic.twitter.com/oOtD6GZupN
The South African Weather Service’s red (Level 10) warning that was issued across the province over the weekend and remained in effect on Sunday.
EThekwini Municipality said there was a high probability of localised flooding of vulnerable areas and landslides within the municipality. It also urged residents and drivers to exercise extreme caution.
Premier Sihle Zikalala said 190 people were evacuated from Tehuis to the SJ Hall on Saturday evening.
“If you reside in a flood prone area and you are asked by authorities to evacuate please obey,” Zikalal appealed.
He said torrential rains were expected to hit the northern parts of the province on Sunday which included Empangeni and Richards Bay.
KZN EMS spokesperson Robert Mckenzie on Sunday morning said emergency service units were still on high alert across the province, especially in the eThekwini region. He said even though a number of roads have been closed, they are still able to access all the areas through alternative routes. He said they also still have access to all the health facilities.
According to Mckenzie, an old age home in Tongaat was evacuated on Saturday night after it was flooded.
“At this stage, there are no reported injuries and direct incident as a result of the heavy rains,” said Mckenzie.
