South Africa’s president blames climate change for flooding ‘catastrophe’ that killed at least 259

Flooding in South Africa’s Durban space has taken a minimum of 259 lives and is a “disaster of huge proportions,” President Cyril Ramaphosa stated Wednesday.

“This catastrophe is a part of local weather change. It’s telling us that local weather change is critical, it’s right here,” stated Ramaphosa, visiting flooded areas of Durban and the encompassing eThekwini metropolitan space.

“We now not can postpone what we have to do, and the measures we have to take to take care of local weather change,” he stated.

The demise toll is anticipated to proceed rising as search and rescue operations proceed in KwaZulu-Natal province, officers stated. The province is about to be declared a catastrophe space by the nationwide authorities, stated Ramaphosa.

“KwaZulu-Natal goes to be declared a provincial space of catastrophe, in order that we’re capable of do issues rapidly. The bridges have collapsed, the roads have collapsed, folks have died and individuals are injured,” stated Ramaphosa.

He stated one household had misplaced 10 members within the devastating floods.

Residents have needed to flee their houses as they had been swept away, buildings collapsed and highway infrastructure severely broken. Durban port was flooded and transport containers had been swept away right into a jumbled heap.

Authorities had been additionally looking for to revive electrical energy to giant components of the province after heavy flooding at numerous energy stations.

Rescue efforts by the South African Nationwide Defence Power had been delayed because the navy’s air wing was additionally affected by the floods, Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya stated. The navy was capable of deploy personnel and helicopters across the province on Wednesday, he stated.

The South Africa Climate Companies has warned of continued winds and rains and the danger of continued flooding in Kwazulu-Natal and different provinces over the upcoming Easter weekend. South Africa’s Japanese Cape, Free State and North West provinces could possibly be affected, it stated.