KZN Floods: Coming together in a time of crisis...
On the 8th of April 2022, heavy rainfall began in the KwaZulu-Natal region.
It persisted for several days, leading to severe floods, leaving over 400 people dead and several thousand homes damaged or destroyed.
Willem Rossouw, ER24 Durban Branch Manager and an advanced life support paramedic, responded to numerous incidents and recalled
the horrors he witnessed.
“So for me, it all started on Monday, 11 April 2022 at around 18:00.
I had just come back from a visit to the Pietermaritzburg branch.
It had been pouring with rain for the whole day.
I received a call from SAPS Search and Rescue on my way home, asking if I could help them out, as they were already getting swamped with work.
The incident occurred just around the corner from the branch on Caversham Road.
The road made a dip down, then rose again.
There used to be a little stream running underneath the road at the lowest point.
What used to be a stream was a raging river by this time.
A car had tried to cross the water, but the
current had taken it and luckily pushed it against a lamp pole.
With the help of a tow truck driver, I had managed to secure safety ropes to be able to cross the river and bring a family of four to safety.”
This was only the start of things to come…
“Later that evening, I was called to a residence in Westville where residents needed rescuing from their home.
Fortunately, there were no injuries sustained during this incident.
Then after midnight, the unthinkable happened.
I received a distress call about a mudslide where the house was swept away.
On arrival, other services were already on the scene; the whole house had been swept from the face of the earth.
Except for a 17-year-old boy, all family had been accounted for.
After an extensive search around the rubble where the house used to be, his body was found under the mud.
Unfortunately, nothing could be done for him."
On the 13th of April, a provincial state of disaster was declared by the National Disaster Management Centre.
ER24 joined the Venue Operation Centre (VOC), set up at Virginia Air Base, with various role players, including the SAPS, SAAF, Rescue South Africa, Gift of the Givers, eThekwini Fire and numerous other private services.
Emergency personnel were stretched to their limit, not only by the stresses placed on them during the rescues and incidents they attended but also in a personal capacity.
“Some of my staff members were severely affected during the floods,” said Rossouw.
“Some of their garages were flooded, and some had their back yards and driveways washed away.
One staff member was living in one of the many areas that had been evacuated the night of 11 April.
There were also staff members who had difficulty coming to work as the roads were flooded or washed away.”
The stress that the emergency workers dealt with during this disaster can only be explained as horrific.
The staff had to work long hours, attending to numerous incidents where there was severe destruction and loss of life, but has also had the concerns about the safety of their families in their mind.
“There is no on or off switch to control feelings; however, the knowledge that what you are busy doing could make a difference in someone else's life is enough to keep feelings at bay.
I do think one of the biggest fears is those of the families of the staff members.
Knowing that their loved one is running towards something others are running away from.
This night, and the days after this, made me proud to do what I do and to work with such selfless, dedicated staff,” said Rossouw.
“Once everyone started to realise what was going on, and the magnitude thereof, all the services from private to local municipality, government, private volunteers worked tirelessly to help those in need.
Everyone worked as one team, with one goal, regardless of the colour of the uniform.
It was awesome to see services could work that well together”.
ER24 would like to thank all the emergency services and personnel and the community for their hard work and dedication during the floods.ER24 counselling services are available to our staff to support them during these traumatic experiences.
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