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What happened, where and when?
Between September 23-26, 2023, severe weather caused extensive flooding, loss of life, and displacement in the Western Cape province. The floods damaged private and public infrastructure, disrupted roads, and caused power outages. In and around the city, the severe weather resulted in eight fatalities due to electrocution from illegal electricity connections, and over 1,500 structures were affected. At least seven areas, including Sir Louwry's Pass, Nomzamo, Houtbay, Greyton, Montique, Paarl, Strand, and Macassar, were impacted, with over 16,000 people and 7,100 informal structures severely affected. Nearly 250 schools were also impacted, highlighting the widespread nature of the disaster across both urban and rural areas, particularly those near waterways and riverbanks.
The floods severely disrupted roads and transportation networks, hindering access to affected areas and complicating response operations. The Kuils River overflowed, flooding Mfuleni Township and forcing around 2,710 families to evacuate. Evacuation centres were established in Faure and Sandvlei to support displaced residents. According to the 2023 Western Cape floods Wikipedia page, 11 fatalities were reported. Major highways, including parts of the N1, R60, and R62, were closed due to flooding. Authorities in Cape Town declared a state of emergency due to the extensive impact of the floods.
By the end of the intervention, the concerted efforts across various sectors had substantially alleviated the distress caused by the Western Cape floods. Comprehensive interventions, including the establishment of temporary shelters, distribution of multi-purpose cash grants, and extensive WASH programs, restored normalcy and provided essential support to the communities. These efforts, guided by ongoing assessments and reinforced by community feedback, ensured that interventions were both timely and aligned with the specific needs of the affected populations, leading to significant improvements in living conditions and infrastructure stability. Through the cash voucher assistance, some of the people were able to buy shelter materials such as roofing materials and food.
From late October 2023 to mid-November, heavy rainfall and flooding occurred affecting different parts of the KZN province namely, eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, uMkhanyakude, Somkhele and KwaMyeki areas. 8,221 people (1,625 households) with homeless families were reported as affected. The KwaZulu floods caused 12 fatalities, 43 injuries confirmed and damages to critical infrastructure (schools and community halls) including households and livelihoods. After weeks of mobilization, monitoring and stretching internal resources to meet uncovered essential means of life and urgent lifesaving interventions, the NS managed to scale the support in Kwa-Zulu Natal under the DREF scope.