Thirteen confirmed deaths and more than half a billion rands in damages.
That's the devastating loss wrought by the super-cell storm that lashed KwaZulu-Natal on October 10, according to a report tabled at a meeting in Durban of the executive committee of eThekwini municipality on Monday.
The report says engineering-related repairs will cost R308-million, human settlements requires R250-million, disaster management and emergency control R4.1-million, parks and recreation R7.7-million, cleansing and solid waste R1.3-million, electricity R2.6-million and water and sanitation R2.3-million.
The report asks that the executive committee declare a state of disaster within the municipality. The disaster management team has received a number of requests from wards for assessments of the damage and for disaster relief. Sixty wards were affected and 3112 households, most of which, 2425, were south of the city.
Damaged infrastructure for which the parks, leisure and cemeteries department is responsible includes 20 libraries, 23 swimming pools, 21 halls, three parks, one heritage site, three museums and four sports facilities.
The report stated that the initial assessment of houses indicated that 954 informal dwellings, 1770 "breaking- new-ground" units, 557 retaining walls, 418 temporary facilities and 489 roofs were damaged.
Authority was granted for the emergency rehabilitation of low-cost housing, community residential units and informal settlements subject to funding by the KwaZulu-Natal department of human settlements.
Acting deputy city manager of community and emergency services Martin Xaba said it was crucial that a start be made to the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure.
"The approval ... allows the finance department to find savings to ensure rehabilitation of infrastructure," he said.
The executive committee approved the attendance of the head of disaster management and emergency control, Vincent Ngubane, and two city councillors, at the World Congress on Disaster Management in India next month.