KZN prepared for flood chaos: MEC

Disaster management teams in KwaZulu-Natal are on standby following warnings that heavy rains are set to lash the province again this week.

Cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube assured communities, particularly those living in low-lying areas in the eastern and northern parts of the province, that disaster management teams were ready to deal with any reported incidents that could arise from heavy rains.

She also urged drivers to be cautious on the roads.

"The province has traditionally borne the brunt of inclement weather conditions that routinely leave a trail of death and destruction in their wake through localised flooding, hailstorms, lightning strikes and veld fires, all of which tend to cause millions of rands in damages to public infrastructure and private property.

"We can assure the general public that a great deal of effort is always made by Cogta to ensure that each weather warning is acted upon appropriately and that important information is cascaded down to municipalities and other authorities in areas that are prone to weather-related incidents," Dube-Ncube said.

More than 400 homes were damaged and about 1000 residents were affected by electricity outages after gale-force winds battered KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend.

One person died after being electrocuted and another was injured when a tree collapsed on electrical cables in Richards Bay.