JOHANNESBURG – More than 300 people have been evacuated from their homes due to renewed heavy rains, floods and mudslides in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, with weeks of severe flooding killing more than 400 people and displacing more than 40,000.
In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which includes the port city of Durban, high precautions have been taken in some areas, with warnings of more rain.
The new emergency has expanded to local officials who have appealed for help from the South African national government, Kwazulu-Natal provincial local government minister Sifo Hlomuka said in a press briefing.
“We have not yet received a full report on the impact of this latest heavy rainfall, but a worrying picture emerges from the report,” said Hlomuka.
They also called for the deployment of South African National Defense Forces in the province to assist in disaster management, he said.
The floods in KwaZulu-Natal last month caused an estimated $ 1.5 billion in property damage, officials said.
Among the communities most affected by the new floods are Umlaji, Amanjimototi, Umdaloti, Isipingo, Tongat and Wentworth, which were also affected by previous floods.
