In Cape Town, South Africa, flooding has killed at least 60 people as reported by authorities on Wednesday. These floods were caused by torrential rainfall that hit the country last week. The rainfalls had left buildings collapsed, rivers burst, and sinkholes had been ripped into roads. In addition to the flooding, these rainfalls also collapsed the walls inside a church, which had killed 13 people total, 12 being women and the last one being a young boy.
Thousands of people have been displaced by the flooding which resulted in urgent humanitarian support provided by officials. The KwaZulu-Natal Province was hit the worst by the storm. About 10 inches of rain had fallen in less than 48 hours.
Approximately 200 homes were washed away in an area known as Quarry Road, and in Umlazi, one of South Africa’s biggest townships, at least 500 people were displaced.
Forecasters had reported that the flooding was caused by a cutoff low pressure system. This pressure system is often associated with severe weather.
Besides the KwaZulu-Natal Province, flooding was also reported in outer parts of the country as the storm traveled east. The South Africa military sent troops to Port St. Johns, a rural town that lies in the Eastern Cape. These troops were sent to help with rescue and evacuations.
In my opinion, these floods are devastating to South Africa and after the church collapse and many casualties, more homes and building need to be reinforced to be able to withstand these floods if possible, as it is never fair for someone to lose the place that they call home. In addition, I believe that the country should seek donations from neighboring countries and the United Nations in order to help rebuild the towns and homes that were lost so that these displaced people can get back to living their life regularly.