More than 100 families who were left homeless during the severe storms that rocked 59 villages in Amathole District Municipality (ADM) are set to receive temporary shelters.
ADM has filed for the provision of temporary residential units (TRUs) as a disaster emergency pillar.
This is according to ADM spokesperson Sisa Msiwa who said the district municipality was collaborating with the affected municipalities, with various forms of assistance requested from the department of human settlements regarding the provision of temporary residential structures for those in need.
“We are now waiting for human settlements to complete their processes to ensure the TRUs are delivered promptly,” she said.
In Peddie alone, 148 families were left homeless while a recorded 83 homes were destroyed in the Amahlathi, Mnquma and Mbhashe local municipalities during the heavy storms which left a trail of destruction between December and the start of January.
This has left the struggling ADM with damages amounting to R57.2m.
Costs assessments were carried out by a multidisciplinary team which included the human settlements department, and national, provincial and district development (NDMC) centres.
Much of the damage was recorded in the Mnquma municipality, which on New Year’s Eve had storms and severe winds that left 21 families homeless and in need of refuge.
R38m in damages were reported there.
ADM had sent a severe thunderstorms alert to all six local municipalities under its jurisdiction for December 30.
The storms claimed the life of a 20-year-old, Aphelele Ngubombi of Zikatini village in Willowvale, who was struck by lightning while he was preparing food for his family.
An incident report seen by the Dispatch revealed that a total of 11 access roads and bridges in Mnquma were left damaged to the tune of R36.5m.
Six of the damaged access roads were recorded in Ngqamakhwe.
This led to ADM being classified as a disaster area.
Msiwa said relief funds could be issued once a disaster was officially declared by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“However, a disaster [classification] means the affected departments are required to use their available funds to provide aid and relief to the victims,” she said.
In a previous Dispatch report, ADM mayor Anele Ntsangani said the area was prone to tornadoes, especially in December.
Msiwa said since the disaster, the district had been actively co-ordinating efforts to ensure the basic needs of affected communities were met.
“We have partnered with humanitarian organisations like Gift of the Givers, Al Imdaad and the Red Cross to provide essential supplies. The department of social development has also stepped in to assess the situation and offer psychosocial support to affected families.
“Where needed, they will refer individuals to other departments, such as home affairs, for assistance with documents like IDs or birth certificates,” Msiwa said.
Mnquma spokesperson Loyiso Mpalatshane said they welcomed the intervention by the ADM as Mnquma was limited in resources.
“We believe it will go a long way to alleviate the plight of the homeless people.
“These areas are disaster prone; almost every year there is a natural disaster that occurs. At a local level, we are limited in terms of the amount of resources that we can deploy to alleviate this plight, so we welcome such interventions,” he said.
Damages caused by the storm to houses in Mnquma amounted to R1.8m. In the Raymond Mhlaba municipality, it amounted to R3.6m, with 20 people from four wards left homeless.
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.