Four reported missing as flash floods lash North Coast
More than 100mms of rain fell overnight in an unusually large storm between Durban and KwaDukuza.
At least four people are missing after an unexpected storm caused flash floods from Durban to KwaDukuza last night.
According to paramedics, two people went missing from their home in Tongaat, while another two were caught while crossing low-lying bridges in Groutville and Maphumulo.
Search teams are on site today, but high water levels and fast flowing rivers make it a difficult task.
No deaths have so far been reported.
The peak of the storm hit most areas between 9pm and 11pm last night, unleashing more than 100mms of rain and catching almost everyone off guard.
No serious weather had been forecast and no weather warnings were issued by the South African Weather Service or department of co-operative governance (Cogta).
Source: South African Weather Service/X.
Response teams reported hundreds of calls for help as people were left trapped after being surprised by the storm.
Three people had to be rescued in Tongaat after rising waters left them stranded near the Tongaat Post Office.
“A river running through the Tongaat CBD flooded, leaving two people stuck in a tree and a third trapped on a wall surrounded by rapidly rising water,” said IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson, Kelsey-Jae Meyrick.
Photo: IPSS Medical Rescue.
They were luckily found in time and rescued by members from IPSS, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Umhlali Saps K9 Search and Rescue.
Tongaat was again one of the hardest hit areas and most of the low-lying parts of the CBD were covered in mud when the Courier visited this morning.
It was a case of cruel déjà vu for One Stop Motor Spares store owner Trevor Simmadurai, whose store was completely flooded for the second time in three years.
“I came last night just after the worst of the storm and it was already messed up big time. The water was chest height,” he said.
Given the level of water, there was little Simmadurai could do but watch as his store was decimated again.
“It took me a month to reopen after the 2021 floods and it will probably be at least that long again this time around.”
A few other nearby stores were equally devastated, while the Tongaat Sports Centre was surrounded by sitting water and debris that came downriver, including fully grown trees.
Umdloti and KwaDukuza also saw widespread flooding, while isolated parts of Ballito and Salt Rock were damaged.
A number of roads have either partially collapsed or washed away, particularly inland of Tongaat at Emona and in the Glenhills area of KwaDukuza.
Photo: Jacqueline Herbst.
Photo: Brent Badenhorst.
The P228 between Flag Farm and the Shakaskraal turnoff was again submerged and appeared impassable when the Courier visited this morning.
The Courier also visited a partial washaway near the Imbonini Park and R102 junction, where provincial department of transport teams were already at work.
A section of the road was being graded so that two lanes could remain open until the sinkhole repairs are done.
This is far from an exhaustive list of damages, which will likely only emerge over the next few weeks when provincial and municipal teams are able to take stock of the full extent.
Residents are urged to drive carefully on smaller roads and to avoid crossing low-lying bridges until river levels have gone down.
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