As temperatures climbed and an overcast sky hung over a storm-ravaged township in eastern South Africa, survivors of the deadly floods sought divine solace observing Easter Sunday.

Inanda, a rural township 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the city of Durban's central business district, was one of the areas devastated by heavy flooding that has killed 443 people and left more than 40,000 homeless.

On Sunday, around 200 Christian worshippers gathered at the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa for an Easter service.

The large white concrete church with a tiled roof ceiling is one of a few solid structures left standing by the raging floods that engulfed the city last week.

The warmer temperatures throughout the day, ranging between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius (59 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit), were much more reflective of Durban's marketing slogan as "the warmest city to be".

But that warmth was not enough to soothe the grieving and suffering survivors.

Thulisile Mkhabela said she was at church because she still had "hope" that her situation would change.

"I felt I should come here to take refuge in the lord... for comfort and to get that hope that we will go through this," said Mkhabela, who returned home from her call centre job on Monday to find floodwater decimating the house she was renovating.

The house started collapsing from the living room.

"We were still awake so we took out whatever we could and took the children to the other house. (As) soon as we took them out then the bedroom started collapsing," she said.

They moved to their outbuilding, which had also been damaged but held together for the rest of the night.

The outbuilding has since collapsed and they are now "squatting" in her brother's two-bedroom house.

- Hope and new beginnings -

"Now there is 12 of us in a two-bedroom house. My brother, his wife and their children in the one room and the rest of us in the other room," said Mkhabela, wearing an orange jacket and a black dress.

Another congregant, Nokuthula Chili, had to evacuate her family from her home when floodwaters reached shoulder height on Monday night.

Floors and walls were cracked and all the furniture and electrical appliances were damaged.

"What hurts the most is that I went through a lot of difficulties to build that house and seeing it collapse so easily, right in front of my eyes broke me.

"I don't know if I will have the means to rebuild," she said, tears running down her cheeks.

Thankfully, Chili, her husband, four children and two grandchildren who were in the house escaped unhurt.

Easter Sunday marks the day Christians symbolically celebrate triumph over death.

For this small Christian community in Inanda, it marked a start of new beginning and a temporary distraction from the ruins around them.

Reverend Bhekubuhle Dlamini encouraged the congregants -- most of them neatly dressed in white or cream tops and black skirts -- to keep their faith in the face of the disaster.

The floods struck "so close to the Easter weekend -- the weekend that begins with hopelessness and darkness before He (Jesus) rises on Sunday, which is today", he said in his sermon.

"That gives us hope that after all the challenges we went through we will be able to rise up again even though our houses fell down, our infrastructure in ruins."

As worshippers prayed some got emotional, raising their hands as tears rolled down, while others fell to the ground.

Chili's faith remained unshaken.

"I don't think there would be a better time for (the disaster) to happen than so close to the resurrection Sunday, a time meant for new beginnings," she said.

South Africa flood toll rises to 443 as deluge eases
Durban, South Africa (AFP) April 17, 2022 - The death toll from floods that have battered South Africa climbed above 440 on Sunday as abating rains allowed rescue operations to accelerate after one of the deadliest storms in living memory.

Torrential rains that started lashing the southeastern coastal region last weekend quickly triggered heavy floods and landslides that smashed into Durban city and surrounding areas, pulling with them buildings and people.

By Sunday 443 people, including two police emergency workers, had died from the raging floods.

Scientists warn that floods and other extreme weather events are becoming more powerful and frequent as the world gets warmer because of climate change.

At least 63 other people are still missing and feared dead after the floodwaters -- the strongest to have struck KwaZulu-Natal in recent memory -- engulfed the region, trashing the idyllic beaches with debris.

- Emotional prayers -

Amid the destruction, climbing temperatures and an overcast sky, survivors sought divine solace and temporary distraction from their misery while observing Easter Sunday.

Thulisile Mkhabela went to church, at a large white concrete building with a tiled roof ceiling -- one of a few solid structures left standing by the raging floods that engulfed her Inanda township.

She recalled watching her house gradually collapse under the weight of the waters six days ago.

It started with the living room. "We took out whatever we could," she said, and took the children to what was thought to be a secure outbuilding.

As "soon as we took them out then the bedroom started collapsing", she said.

The family then moved to an outbuilding, which had also been damaged but held together for the rest of the night.

That building has since collapsed and they are now "squatting" in her brother's two-bedroom house where 12 people are crammed.

Worshippers at the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa raised hands as tears rolled down, while others fell to the ground during emotional prayers.

"The loss of life, destruction of homes, the damage to the physical infrastructure... make this natural disaster one of the worst ever in recorded history of our province," said Sihle Zikalala, the premier of the KwaZulu-Natal province.

Rains were starting to let up on Sunday, allowing for search and relief aid operations to continue in and around Durban.

The city of 3.5 million was overcast but the South African Weather Service said rainfall would have cleared by midweek.

But recovery operations and humanitarian relief continued in the economic hub and tourist magnet city, whose beaches and warm Indian Ocean waters would normally have been teeming with Easter holidaymakers.

The government, churches and charities were marshalling relief aid for the more than 40,000 people left homeless by the raging floodwaters.

The government has announced an immediate one billion rand ($68 million) in emergency relief funding.

- Hospitals and schools destroyed -

Deputy Social Development Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu said some 340 social workers had been deployed to offer support to traumatised survivors, with many still missing children and other relatives.

Most casualties were in Durban, a port city and a major economic hub.

Parts of the city have been without water since Monday after floods ripped away infrastructure.

Scores of hospitals and more than 500 schools have been destroyed.

The intensity of the floods took South Africa, the most economically advanced African country, by surprise.

While the southeastern region has suffered some flooding before, the devastation has never been so severe. South Africans have previously watched similar tragedies hit neighbouring countries such as cyclone-prone Mozambique.

The country is still struggling to recover from the Covid pandemic and deadly riots last year that killed more than 350 people, mostly in the now flood-struck southeastern region.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Damaged roads and bridges hamper aid for S. Africa flood victims
Durban, South Africa (AFP) April 14, 2022
Victims of South Africa's deadliest storm on record scrambled to get help on Thursday as relief teams struggled to cross bridges and roads wrecked by floods and landslip. At least 306 people died when the heaviest rainfall in six decades swept away homes and destroyed infrastructure in the city of Durban and KwaZulu-Natal province. The government has declared the region a state of disaster to unlock relief funds. But with key roads and bridges washed away, relief workers battled to reach th ... read more