Storm causes extreme damage in eMalahleni
Clean-up operations in eMalahleni are taking place after a devastating storm last night.
Damaged infrastructure is the footprint left behind after a storm that swept through eMalahleni last night.
Fallen trees, washed away walls, broken roof tiles, and damaged cars are telling the story of the severe storm.
Clr Salomie Kriel from Ward 18 said Victorian Heights Security Complex in Paul Sauer Street was the most affected.
“A carport fell on parked cars and left thousands of rands of damage behind,” Kriel said.
A member of the mayoral committee who also stays in the area suffered a lot of damage when the wall at her house collapsed.
Kriel said she counted eleven fallen trees.
Kriel drove through the ward to assess the damage and she said her heart broke for the families who frantically tried to dry up the muddy water in their houses.
“My heart broke for those families. All the complaints that were sent were immediately forwarded to the disaster management team who started with a clean-up early this morning,” Kriel said.
In Ward 20 Clr Maureen Scheepers did her rounds this morning and raised a concern that the low lying bridges in Second Street, Raadsaal Street, and Libertas Street Beit Street there were blocked with debris.
SEE THE VIDEO OF THE BRIDGE IN SECOND AVENUE HERE:
“I went out for oversight in my ward this morning and I was shocked to find the Ada Bridge damaged and completely blocked by debris,” Scheepers said.
Local News | The Second Avenue bridge in Blancheville is nearing completion
See the video here: https://t.co/SDOn4xQqoA#Blanchville #Ward20 #bridge #SecondAveneu #MaureenScheepers— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) October 13, 2022
“The bridge in Second Avenue collapsed for this very same reason a few years ago. The new bridge took seven years to be reconstructed and was completed only a year ago. There are three other bridges in Blancheville and they are all currently blocked with tree stumps and branches. The storm water drains surrounding the bridges are either blocked, overgrown, or have collapsed, this is another disaster waiting to happen,” Scheepers said.
The latest news on the water crisis the city is experiencing is not good news.
“The main command pump station at Point D is out of operation due to flooding wherein all the equipment was damaged. Clean-up operations are underway and replacement of the damaged equipment is to be undertaken,” was the word from the municipal communication team.
The damage to the command pump station will have a significant impact on the provision of water supply to communities and the system recovery will be prolonged.
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