Drone footage shows flooded homes as heavy rain causes havoc, prompting government to declare national disaster
The government declared a national disaster on Thursday as heavy rain caused flooding, landslides and damage to property countrywide, including in the North West town of Bloemhof, where residents eager to start work in the new year have been hit by huge setbacks.
“We live close to the restaurant on normal days, but I had to move to the township and rent a room in the meantime. That has added financial stress, but we are hopeful.” Gumede said. “to further strengthen support to existing structures to implement contingency arrangements and ensure that measures are put in place to enable the national executive to effectively deal with the effects of this disaster”.
“About 13 local municipalities are affected by the disaster. The severe weather conditions have led to damage to property and environmental degradation, which includes the emergence of potholes on many of our roads. This has disrupted community life in the affected areas. To date, there are no reported fatalities.
“They started opening the water gates on Monday and during the night the levels went up. It was a panic situation because there’s a possibility they will open more [sluice gates].”
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