Humanitarian aid from Qatar to help KZN flood victims

Humanitarian aid from the State of Qatar is expected to bolster efforts in response to the devastating floods that hit KZN.

The delivery on Sunday comprised, among other things, food items, clothing, generators, water purifiers, ventilators, tents and medical supplies.

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Addressing the media on Sunday on interventions and the much-needed humanitarian aid from Qatar following the devastating floods, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-

Zuma said government has prioritised finding shelter for people who have been displaced.

‘We have begun moving some of them to temporary residential units, but the process has been a bit slow because we need to get new land,’ she said.

‘We can’t put them on the floodplains from where their houses were washed away by the floods.’

To date, 459 people have lost their lives in the April floods and, according to the police, 88 are still unaccounted for.

KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala said more than 131 temporary residential units have been constructed.

‘The province has begun building temporary residences for affected families on State-owned land parcels that were identified for possible resettlement.

‘Our rebuilding does not only involve the construction and repair of major infrastructure, but also the construction of houses and damaged infrastructure. Houses will be rebuilt within suitably located areas.

We are implementing measures to protect residents from such adverse weather events in the future,’ Zikalala said.

‘Critical infrastructure like schools, bridges and roads was also destroyed, with damage to public infrastructure standing at R25-billion, while businesses incurred damage estimated at R7-billion.

‘These costs exclude new damage emanating from the May floods. Some areas of our province have been transformed by the floods into inaccessible islands,’ said Zikalala.

He said the humanitarian aid would help lighten the burden of meeting the humanitarian needs of the more than 4 000 citizens housed in community centres.

‘About 45 000 people are temporarily out of work because their places of employment are not operational, as they were affected by the floods.

‘Government is providing burial assistance, death certificates, identity documents, post mortems, health services and psychosocial support,’ said the premier.

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