The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has joined forces with the South African Police Service to boost the ongoing search mission where two persons remain missing following the recent floods in Kariega.
NMBM Disaster Management’s Thomas Cameron said the Metro’s Fire and Emergency Services and lifeguards had joined the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Coastal Water Rescue in the intensified search efforts that continued Sunday, 9 June 2024.
Following the Joint Operating Centre meeting on Sunday, Cameron said: “Currently we have SAPS who are still busy with the searching operations, they are assisted now by other organisations including our NMBM teams. Their team has now increased to make the search more efficient. That will continue today, there is still two bodies they are looking for. The plan is to recover the vehicle first from the water as it is still there.”
While a total of 575 residents have been moved from halls and churches and accommodated at lodges and student accommodation facilities, more residents are expected to be relocated to newly identified facilities from Sunday.
Cameron said the affected residents had been allocated across six facilities so far. “Our human settlements teams have been working tirelessly to ensure affected residents are placed in adequate facilities. There are four facilities used in Kariega and two in Gqeberha. We are aware that other residents from Kariega opted to return to their shacks, this is because accommodation was identified in Gqeberha so that option was too far for them. But we have not given up on placing them in adequate accommodation, so our teams are still on the ground identifying more facilities and we will engage the communities again.”
“We are faced with a moving target when it comes to the numbers, just when we think we are done with a certain area, we get information that more people have come and need to be relocated. SASSA and relief organisation are still providing food to the relocated residents and the JOC is still active,” Cameron said.
NMB Communications
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