Clear-up work underway after deadly storm hits S African resort town

At least five people have been killed after heavy rain and strong winds battered the resort town of Margate in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province on Sunday, with the severe weather toppling trees and inflicting significant damage to infrastructure, cars, homes and businesses.   Margate was left reeling from the vicious storm that hit South Africa's east coast on Sunday evening, causing five fatalities in the town. Three of the victims reportedly drowned when the car they were traveling in was swept into a nearby river.   As the clear-up work continues, authorities sent out a message to all those affected.   "We are sending condolences to the families of those people that have passed on. We are also sending our sympathies to those that have been able to be rescued," said Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, KwaZulu-Natal's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.   Weather warnings came too late as roads turned into raging rivers, uprooting trees, damaging homes, businesses and inflicting damage upon critical power, water and telecommunications infrastructure.   Shell-shocked locals say they are still coming to terms with the disaster as the lengthy recovery process now gets underway.   "We are all shocked, cannot believe the devastation. The roads are cracked up and washed away. There's big holes in the ground and we're all living here, in the lower area here. We're worried that we'll never be able to get this back to the way it was," said a resident named Lydia.   Disaster relief funds are being mobilized to help those affected by the freak storm in Margate and the surrounding areas, as teams on the ground continue to survey the full extent of the damage.   "The assessment is continuing because it's not only in Ray Nkonyeni. We are also having some damages in Umzumbe and Umdoni. Teams are on the sites gathering information on how many people and households have been affected and how much that is going to cost," said Bongiwe.   KwaZulu-Natal province has witnessed a spate of heavy rain and severe flooding in recent years. In 2022, more than 450 people were killed in the region, making it one of South Africa's worst ever natural disasters.

Clear-up work underway after deadly storm hits S African resort town

At least 169 people in Kenya were killed in floods triggered by heavy rains that began to hit East African countries in middle March.

The floods have also affected more than 60,000 people in the country, including those living at Nairobi's Mathare Slum, one of the worst-hit areas.

Many residents at the low-lying slum were displaced as their houses were built along the river and inundated by floods when the rain fell.

An elementary school was converted into a makeshift shelter for the displaced at the slum, and the government has sent food and other life supplies to them.

"The flood was rampant. We took nothing when we fled home. We had no time to save anything. Some even had to jump out from the house roof, and came to take shelter here," said a flood-affected resident.

The heavy rain also caused water logging in downtown Nairobi, resulting in travel difficulties for residents.

According to Kenya's meteorological department, the rain is expected to last till early May.

Kenya's floods kill 169, affect 60,000