After having their homes and belongings destroyed in what was described as the worse flooding in recent times in eThekwini, many had no choice but to leave their dwellings behind and seek refuge in the hall of the Vishwaroop Temple.
Community activist and ward committee member for ward 61, Shantal Nair, said 44 families were displaced during the floods and are being temporarily housed at the temple hall. “These people are now homeless. They have lost everything from clothing to groceries. We are fortunate enough that some organisations are assisting with basic necessities. At this point any donation is greatly appreciated.”
Nair said the victims will receive food, foam mattresses and will be catered for further as they receive more donations. “We are arranging with councillors to get people back into their homes. We have arranged teams to clean up the houses and were trying to get the municipality to assist.” Flood victims, Rita Rama and her son, said they were living in complete fear of what heavy rains would do to them and, in what felt like an instant, those fears became a reality. “The rains and overflowing river was so intense that water came in from both entrances to the houses. We were up to our thighs in water. All our appliances are damaged along with our beds, clothes, furniture and food. If private security companies hadn’t come out many of us would have drowned. We are so grateful to the temple committee for housing us during this time and everyone that has donated anything from food to clothing as we literally lost everything.”
Samantha Sookdeo, whose mother suffered significant damages, said the floods has completely disrupted their lives. “There is nothing that can be salvaged. The beds, stove freezer and all her food is completely destroyed and thrown away. There was no way to even save anything because everyone was more concerned about saving their lives.” She said the force of the water was so great it caused major structural damage to their concrete fence and cars which had to be towed back into their yards after being washed away. “When we called my mum she said she was sweeping water out of her house. We immediately told her to leave and rushed over to help everyone get out.” Many residents said they’re waiting for the worse of the storm to blow over before they start rebuilding their lives.
