South Africa: Floods Smash Gqeberha As 2,000 Flee to Shelters

The provincial health department shut down a local Gqeberha clinic after heavy storm water flooded the building and waiting rooms.

Gift of the Givers urgently needs food and blankets for two thousand victims trapped inside twenty-five local emergency shelters.

Thousands of people are sleeping in emergency shelters as severe storms smash the Eastern Cape.

More than 2,000 flood victims are crowding into 25 shelters across Nelson Mandela Bay.

Humanitarian group Gift of the Givers says these shelters are packed with elderly people, women and children. They urgently need food, blankets and baby supplies.

The heavy rain has also shut down local healthcare.

The provincial health department locked the doors at the Gqeberha Community Health Centre in Walmer. Flood waters damaged patient waiting areas and made the building totally unsafe.

The clinic will stay shut until Monday so workers can pump out the water and clean the property.

Sick patients must now travel three kilometres to the Walmer 14th Avenue Clinic for help.

The extreme weather has destroyed roads across the province.

High waves crashed over the coast and pushed heavy rocks onto the N2 highway. This forced traffic officers to shut down the inbound lanes between Bluewater Bay and the Gqeberha city centre.

Forecasters warn the danger is not over.

The South African Weather Service issued high level warnings for disruptive rain, strong winds and rough seas until Friday.

Weather forecaster Nompumelelo Kleinbooi said a cut off low pressure system is causing the chaos.

"The combination of these weather systems then resulted in widespread showers and thundershowers across most parts of South Africa," Kleinbooi said.

Some areas along the south coast could get more than 150 millimetres of rain in a single day. Port Alfred has already recorded 113 millimetres.

Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa told people to stay warm and stay off the roads.

"Communities are urged to exercise caution, avoid unnecessary travel and support vulnerable individuals during this period," she said.

Rescue teams and medical helicopters are waiting on standby to reach towns cut off by the water.

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