Durban - Repair work has started in the storm-ravaged coastal resort of eMdloti.
Vicky Schnelter, precinct manager of the local urban improvement precinct (UIP), said on Tuesday the first ravine to be filled was “nearly done”.
This was in Bellamont Road, which had suffered severe damage, including residential units falling apart.
She said the challenge was to first fix areas where there was no sewage and running water.
“Our sewerage system is on ice,” she said. “Plus, there is no water. We have to get the water running.”
Schnelter said government money had arrived for the repair work and the UIP was organising the repair work.
She added many residents had left the town.
“They can’t take it any more. Restaurants are not open.
“Usually when I go jogging in the mornings there are many people around; now I jog alone,” she said.
On Thursday and Friday, electricity returned to places that had been out as a result of the floods, Schnelter said.
Fierce and unusual storms less than six weeks apart lashed the resort town north of Durban. Enormous craters in roads and ravines, created by landslides and damage to buildings caused by the first storm, lay exposed when the second weather event struck on May 22.
During the most recent storm and floods, a resident had to be rescued after falling into quicksand on the beach, made up of a foul mix of mud and sewage.
Residents have pointed fingers at a development on the inland side of the town, questioning whether proper procedures had been followed and have even protested in front of it when the sun came out.
The Salta Sibaya development has said it will take some time for additional information to come through while the various contractors, professionals and other stakeholders conducted assessments.
Independent on Saturday