Latest news with #disasterManagement
The Herald
4 days ago
- The Herald
Woman and toddler die as fire razes more than 120 houses in Durban's Kennedy Road settlement
A Durban woman and an 18-month-old toddler died in a fire at the Kennedy Road informal settlement in the early hours of Saturday. eThekwini municipality said fire and emergency services and disaster management teams responded to the fire shortly after midnight at the sprawling settlement. The inferno destroyed about 122 informal structures and displaced more than 150 residents. 'Tragically, two lives were lost, a middle-aged woman and an 18-month-old toddler, both suffering fatal third-degree burns. No further injuries have been reported at this time,' the municipality said. Preliminary investigations suggest the fire may have originated from open flames, possibly due to an unattended stove. KwaZulu-Natal co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi has also dispatched disaster management teams and social partners to provide relief to the community. Buthelezi has urged communities to be vigilant when using fire to keep warm this weekend as the province faces cold temperatures and rains due to a cold front. 'We urge communities to exercise extreme caution, especially during colder days when the use of open flames, such as izimbawula and heaters, significantly increases the risk of fires,' he said. Buthelezi is expected to visit the area on Monday to provide further support to the victims. TimesLIVE
CNN
09-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Texas governor scolds reporter when asked who to blame for flood response
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott used a football analogy after being asked about the emergency response to the catastrophic flooding that killed more than a 100 people in the state.
The Herald
05-07-2025
- Climate
- The Herald
Cape Town floods displace thousands of informal settlement residents, more rain expected
Heavy downpours in Cape Town resulted in thousands of residents being displaced after their homes were washed away by floods on Friday night . The province's disaster management team issued a warning, saying disruptive rain would persist until the end of the weekend. Disaster risk management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said rescue teams were assessing the extent of damage by the heavy rains. 'Assessments are under way after last night's heavy downpours. Reports have been received from a number of areas including Mfuleni, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha.' Powell said the Vygieskraal canal burst its banks, causing further flooding on a number of roads in the Athlone/Belgravia area. The rains also caused structural damages to houses across the province including: : Vygieskraal informal settlement: about 500 structures, affecting 2,000 residents; Approximately 200 structures in Haji Ebrahim Crescent affecting 1,000 people; and About 150 RDP homes, also in Vygieskraal, where an estimated 750 people were affected. The disaster risk management centre has requested help with sandbags and milling, blankets and provision of hot meals and plastic sheeting for temporary shelter support. Provincial traffic service spokesperson Kevin Jacobs said heavy rains caused the closure of the Borchard's Quarry link from the N2. 'While there was a lot of localised flooding of roadways late yesterday afternoon and early evening, these have since been cleared either through natural drainage or interventions from the relevant city departments.' Jacobs warned more rain was expected, appealing to motorists to be cautious. 'We experience an increase in motor vehicle accidents during periods of inclement weather. Drive with your headlights on, reduce speed and increase your following distance.' TimesLIVE
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Pakistan flash floods, heavy rain kill 45 in just days
Heavy rain and flash flooding across Pakistan have killed 45 people in just a few days since the start of the monsoon season, disaster management officials said Sunday. The highest toll was recorded in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that borders Afghanistan, where 10 children were among 21 killed. The disaster management authority said 14 of those victims died in the Swat Valley, where media reported a flash flood swept away families on a riverbank. In Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab, along the frontier with India, 13 fatalities have been recorded since Wednesday. Eight of them were children who died when walls or roofs collapsed during heavy rain, while the adults were killed in flash floods. Eleven other deaths related to the monsoon downpours were recorded in Sindh and Balochistan provinces. The national meteorological service warned that the risk of heavy rain and possible flash floods will remain high until at least Saturday. Last month, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms in the South Asian nation, which experienced several extreme weather events in the spring, including strong hailstorms. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its 240 million residents are facing extreme weather events with increasing frequency. sam/sbh/rsc/sst
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Death toll rises after Pakistan hit by flash floods and heavy rains
Heavy rain and flash flooding across Pakistan have killed 32 people since the start of the monsoon season earlier this week, according to the disaster management officials. Flash floods and roof collapses over the past 36 hours have claimed the lives of 19 people, eight of them children, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial disaster management authority said in a statement on Saturday. Of the total deaths, 13 were reported in the Swat Valley. At least 13 people have been killed in the eastern province of Punjab since Wednesday, the area's disaster management authority said. Eight of the deaths were children, who died when walls and roofs collapsed during heavy rain. Flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also damaged 56 houses, six of which were destroyed, the disaster authority said. The national meteorological service warned that the risk of heavy rain and possible flash floods will remain high until at least Tuesday. Last month, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms in the South Asian nation, which experienced several extreme weather events in the spring, including strong hailstorms. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its 240 million inhabitants are facing extreme weather events with increasing frequency.
