S. Africa releases emergency funds to help flood victims

DURBAN • South African authorities were releasing emergency funds yesterday to help tens of thousands of people left without shelter, water and power after flash floods washed away homes and roads and killed almost 400 people on the country's east coast.

The floods in Kwazulu-Natal province have knocked out power lines, shut down water services and disrupted operations at one of Africa's busiest ports. The death toll rose to 395 yesterday from an earlier estimate of 341, state broadcaster SABC said.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told TV station Newsroom Afrika that an initial one billion rand (S$93 million) for emergency relief was available for immediate use, after the province was declared a disaster area. Local authorities have estimated the damage at several billion rand.

"We are still at an emergency relief stage. There is a need for speed in this matter," Mr Godongwana said. "The second phase is going to be a recovery and repair."

Local TV stations showed volunteers clearing plastic containers, piles of bamboo and driftwood from the beachfront in Durban. On other beaches, a Reuters witness said holidaymakers were taking advantage of a lull before the downpours came again later yesterday.

More than 40,000 people have been affected by the disaster, the authorities say.

Scientists believe the south-eastern coast of Africa is becoming more vulnerable to violent storms and floods as human emissions of heat-trapping gases cause the Indian Ocean to warm. They expect the trend to worsen dramatically in coming decades.

Local climate campaigners are calling for greater investment to help communities better prepare for weather shocks. Ministers were arriving in Durban yesterday to assess the damage.

Earlier, a resident of Shakaskraal township north of Durban said the people "don't have the government's attention". Mr Siya Gumede, 26, whose home is now only walls after a neighbouring church collapsed onto its roof last Sunday, added: "There are no streets lights, our taps are empty, there are no stormwater drains."

In 2020, Durban released its Climate Action Plan outlining strategies to green its energy, cut flood risk, improve waste management and conserve water, with a goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.

While climate activists acknowledged the plan was progressive, they said there was limited evidence it was being implemented. But measures ranging from better drainage to more careful urban planning will be crucial to limiting losses during weather extremes.

A study from the World Weather Attribution this week said climate change had increased rainfall associated with tropical cyclones that hit southern Africa.

"This is a teachable moment," said Dr Christopher Trisos, a lead author of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change adaptation and risks released in late February.

"The IPCC report found that 90 per cent of African cities do not yet have substantial climate adaptation plans, which is extremely concerning," Dr Trisos, director of the Climate Risk Laboratory in Cape Town, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "But there are still opportunities to adapt."

Africa is expected to have the world's fastest urban growth by 2050, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Dr Trisos said informal settlements offered scope for adaptation to growing flood risk. "There is an opportunity as lots of informal settlements are not yet covered in tarmac, so we can still create green infrastructure."

Tackling multiple social issues at once, from unemployment to housing and flood resilience, can also create "double wins", he added.

REUTERS