The victims of the Port Elizabeth floods have enough food and blankets but urgently need help rebuilding their homes, the Nelson Mandela metro said on Monday.
”The Nelson Mandela municipality has been inundated with food, clothing and blankets for flood victims and a bank account has now also been opened for any cash donations,” said metro spokesperson Lourens Schoeman.
He thanked those who contributed and said the municipality has an ”abundance” of clothing, food and blankets, and that cash and building materials are now needed.
”About 90% of those people evacuated from informal houses will have to rebuild their homes. Many of those who have to rebuild their homes do not have the financial means to buy the necessary material and cash, and building material donations will therefore be most welcome.”
Schoeman said the metro is looking into the possibility of finding a different place for the informal settlements to be rebuilt. More than 7 000 people from 1 500 homes were evacuated. Six died and two are still missing, presumed drowned.
The bank details for donations are: Standard Bank, account name NMMM: Flood Relief 2006, account number 083585982 (savings account), Port Elizabeth branch, branch code 50017.
Schoeman asked for donors to include their details on deposit slips or electronic transfers, unless they wish to remain anonymous.
He warned that strong winds of more than 60kph are expected on Tuesday. He said trees could be blown over as the ground is still saturated and residents and motorists should take care.
Large parts of the Port Elizabeth area were still without power on Monday following the floods. Schoeman said Port Elizabeth had 670 service faults, Uitenhage had 30 faults and KwaNobuhle had 17.
Problems included overhead lines down and cable and meter faults. There was also a 66KV conductor on the ground between the San Souci and Winterhoek sub-stations, but this had been made safe.
Schoeman said it was one of the worst power failures in years and staff were working around the clock to fix the problems.
”The municipality received about 100 000 calls from residents enquiring about the power failures, of whom about 90% accepted that there was an emergency situation.”
He said power should be restored to all households by Wednesday afternoon and thanked residents for their patience. — Sapa