MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Ongoing flood related incidents – all services remain on high alert

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At East London, Eastern Cape, following the assistance on Sunday morning on the Buffalo River, where a sailing yacht sunk with a jetty and where NSRI East London saved a passenger barge from sinking (towed safely to moorings), at 12h06, Sunday, 2 June, NSRI East London, SA Police Services, the Police Dive Unit, Police K9 Search and Rescue, Priority Care ambulance services, BCM Traffic Services and emergency services responded 10 flood related incidents at various locations around East London.

NSRI duty controllers, Police, the emergency services, BCM (Buffalo City Municipality) and Disaster Risk Management manned a JOC (Joint Operations Command) at NSRI East London station 7 rescue base.

A VOC (Volunteer Operations Centre) was established at The City Hall by BCM authorities.

At various locations around East London persons (families) were assisted from flood related entrapments at residences, buildings, vehicles and at flooded areas in 10 search and rescue operations.

At one scene a public member used his all 4×4 vehicle to to assist to pull a vehicle free from a river. He is commended for his assistance.

At one scene 6 persons (4 adults, one aged 80, and 2 children) were rescued from a flooded home, where sadly their 2 dogs succumbed to fatal drowning.

In the Port of East London dense hyacinth may have contributed to capturing the extensive waste, flooding of plastic waste and debris that has flowed down the river, that has caused the Port to be barely navigational to vessels due to the extensive debris and waste.

All services remain on high alert to respond to emergencies.

KARIEGA:

At Kariega, it has come to light that the incident where 6 persons were trapped in their vehicle on the Brak River, Rocklands, it appears that their ordeal started at around 15h00 on Saturday afternoon, where it is believed that their vehicle was swept off a bridge into the Brak River which was unusually under flood from heavy rainfall.

To NSRI’s understanding, they were unable to raise the alarm in the remote area, they remained in their car that was trapped in the flooded river, unnoticed, until well after midnight the flood conditions had increased reportedly forcing them to attempt to escape their vehicle which was almost completely swamped.

NSRI believe that they forced the back window of the vehicle open and, while attempting to climb onto the roof of the vehicle, the mother was swept away and the dad was swept to an island that had formed in the middle of the river – there he was able to clamber to safety.

NSRI Gqeberha, NSRI Jeffreys Bay and NSRI Oyster Bay reached them after a SMHART security officer had spotted the 4 family members huddling on the roof of the car just after 03h00 (Sunday) and contacted the JOC (Joint Operations Centre) at the Church Street Police station that was being manned by NSRI duty controllers, assisted by NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) in Cape Town.

On arrival on the scene, after evaluating the situation, in tremendously dangerous flood water conditions, with debris, trees, rocks, and waste flowing down river, in heavy rain downpours and dark moonless conditions,

NSRI set up a technical rope and pulley system and using an NSRI floating canoe (CROC, 6 INCH) NSRI rescue swimmers reached the family where all 4 were brought across the flooded river, in relays, to safety.

The dad, on the island, was then rescued using the same method.

They were rewarmed, they were suffering hypothermia, in NSRI rescue vehicles with heaters on full, hydrated, and then transported to a mustering area in Kariega where they are recovering.

An extensive search was continued, by NSRI and Coastal Water Rescue, into daylight, for the mom who sadly remains missing.

Our thoughts are with this family and everyone affected and displaced, by the tragic sudden flooding.

Condolences are conveyed to those who have lost loved ones.

Police are continuing in an ongoing search for 4 missing females. It is not known to NSRI if this number has changed.

Our thoughts are with the families, of those missing, in this difficult time.

These are only some of the extraordinary rescue operations carried out by NSRI and Police (local Police, Police divers and Police K9 Search and Rescue), Coastal Water Rescue, Relay ambulance services and Priority Care ambulance services during the night and into Sunday.

Assisted by DRM, Municipal authorities, Fire and Rescue Services and EMS and community services.

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