Destructive floods hit Eastern Cape, South Africa
Image credit: Gugu Phandle
Heavy rains affecting South Africa's Eastern Cape on January 8 and 9, 2022, have left several people dead and scores displaced.
The floods affected areas of Mthatha, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, the township of Mdantsane, and areas of East London, leaving at least 7 people dead, including 53-year-old police search and rescue member who died while rescuing people swept away during the floods.
According to the Buffalo City Metro Municipality (BCMM), torrential rains left scores of houses and informal settlements in and around the metro severely damaged.1
Scores of residents, mainly in the township of Mdantsane, were displaced, with roads in some parts completely submerged.
This is the result of heavy rains which hit the Eastern Cape today. Mdantsane, Duncan Village, Dutywa and Mthatha were largely affected. So many people displaced, lost places they called home and valuables. It’s reported two people passed away. pic.twitter.com/5OJa5V2J8P
— Gugu Phandle (@GugsOutside) January 8, 2022
A city of almost a million with no disaster management plan, no disaster risk assessment, no functional disaster management centre and almost no staff. SAWS issues warnings but with no functional disaster management the warnings don’t reach affected people so they cannot prepare https://t.co/rhmUgo1zvy
— Lolo (@XhamelaTango) January 8, 2022
"Yesterday, we were all over the place trying to manage the damage. Today we should be in a better position to have an assessment of how many homes were affected, how many families have been displaced and maybe an estimated cost of the damage," BCMM municipality spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said Sunday, January 9.2
"Some families wanted to leave, and some wanted to stay behind. In informal settlements, it is easier to evacuate people. In formal households, some people don't really want to leave their homes even if they are damaged."
Heavy rains continue affecting the country and the South African Weather Service has issued severe thunderstorm warnings for Northern and Western Cape provinces.
References:
1 South Africa – Deadly Floods Hit Eastern Cape – FloodList
2 Mop up operations begin after Mdantsane in Eastern Cape flooding – one dead – News24
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Published in the last 24 hours
- A 19-year-old Nebraska teacher reportedly tied her pupils together with twine and led them to safety through a blizzard in January 1888 Epicenter
- NASA built the Opportunity rover to last 90 days on Mars, and Martian winds helped keep it alive for nearly 15 years by blowing dust off its solar panels, until a planet-wide dust storm in 2018 blocked sunlight and silenced the rover Epicenter
- In the winter of 1811–12, earthquakes near New Madrid, Missouri, shook so hard that witnesses saw the Mississippi River flow backward, and the shaking left a brand-new lake in Tennessee Epicenter
- On 28 August 1859 a solar storm shocked telegraph operators and threw sparks on other lines, and on 2 September Boston to Portland clerks unhooked their batteries and kept sending for more than two hours on the aurora's current alone. Epicenter
WOW!…….the SEA of GARBAGE!!!! UN-REAL! But, hey!…..at least everyone has a SATELLITE DISH on their shacks!! Who cares about the GARBAGE around their homes!