Buffalo City Metro Continues Search and Rescue Amid Severe Flooding

The metro collaborates with the Department of Social Development and NGOs like Gift of the Givers and Living Hope to provide essential supplies.

Search and rescue operations persist in Buffalo City Metro, Eastern Cape, following severe weather and flooding. Emergency teams are on high alert, responding to various incidents and continuing the search for a missing 20-year-old near Dawn in East London. Over the weekend, a pedestrian was fatally struck in a flooded Westbank street, and a 13-year-old was rescued in Amalinda Forest.

Displacement and Assistance

As of 1:30 PM, the floods have displaced 1,300 people. Displaced residents are being sheltered in community halls in Mdantsane, Braelyn, and Mzamomhle, and others are relocated to chalets, old age homes, and temporary housing. Eleven wards are affected, including Ducats, Pefferville, Duncan Village, Cambridge Location, Mzamomhle, Reeston, Stoney Drift, Mdantsane, and Gompo.

The metro collaborates with the Department of Social Development and NGOs like Gift of the Givers and Living Hope to provide essential supplies. Executive Mayor Princess Faku, alongside Gift of the Givers, visited Duncan Village, Mdantsane, and Stoney Drift to offer support.

Infrastructure and Utilities

The metro is working with the Department of Human Settlements to verify 800 temporary relocation structures. They are also addressing 379 electrical faults caused by fallen poles, dysfunctional cables, and transformers.

Rescue Operations

On Sunday, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), South African Police Services (SAPS), Police Dive Unit, and Police K9 Search and Rescue assisted a sinking passenger barge in East London. Additionally, Priority Care Ambulance Services, Buffalo City Metro Traffic Services, and Emergency Services responded to 10 flood-related incidents. In one instance, six people, including an 80-year-old and two children, were rescued from a flooded home where two dogs drowned.

Roads and Beaches

Heavy rains have overwhelmed stormwater drainage systems, blocking major roads like Settlersway, Biko Bridge, Cambridge Cemetery, Duncan Village, and more. The Disaster Management Service has conducted an initial damage assessment, with Infrastructure, Traffic, Fire, and Rescue Services working to clear blockages. Motorists are advised to exercise caution around flooded roads and bridges.

Residents are urged to report incidents to the emergency services call center at (043) 705 9000 and contact their ward councilors for assistance. The city has established a Disaster Management Operations Centre chaired by the Mayor, involving disaster management, law enforcement, traffic, fire, police lifesaving, EMS Ambulance services, and the NSRI.

All metro beaches remain closed, and residents are advised to stay alert as more rain is expected. President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed condolences to families who have lost loved ones, with seven fatalities reported in the Eastern Cape.