On 11-13 April, severe flooding and landslides caused by heavy rainfall affected southern and south-eastern South Africa, particularly the Provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. The disaster caused the death of 448 people, displaced over 40,000 people and completely destroyed over 12,000 houses in the south-east part of South Africa. It also severely damaged infrastructures: roads, health centres, schools. On 18 April, the President of South Africa declared a national state of disaster due to floods severity. On 20 April, DG ECHO field mission reported massive unattended or inadequately addressed needs notably in the most remote and isolated severely affected areas. The most urgent needs are food, clean water and hygiene packs; health, care and psychological first aid (PFA); protection and education in emergencies. (ECHO, 26 Apr 2022)

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government is planning to set up 4 396 temporary accommodation sites as from the end of this week to accommodate families that are currently accommodated in community halls, churches and schools. Giving the latest update on the response to the floods in the province on Sunday, KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Sihle Zikalala, said the construction of temporary residential units has started at Ilembe District, Ugu and eThekwini. Zikalala said the provincial government is finalising the assessment of some sites in Durban for their suitability for construction. “We are encouraged by the support we are getting from the national government. An integrated approach involving three spheres of government is assisting to ensure speed and efficiency in the interventions,” Zikalala said. Zikalala said that although government has reprioritised R1 billion towards disaster relief interventions, the province needs more than R1.9 billion to complete the work. (Gov’t of South Africa, 26 Apr 2022)

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