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Arab News
a day ago
- Climate
- Arab News
South Africa declares national disaster as flooding death toll rises to 92
JOHANNESBURG: South Africa was under a declared state of national disaster on Thursday as the death toll from floods caused by severe rains in the Eastern Cape region rose to 92. The Eastern Cape government honored the victims of last week's floods with a provincial Day of Mourning and a memorial service at King Sabatha Dalindyebo Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College in Mthatha, one of the few schools whose infrastructure remained intact. Speaking at the public memorial service, Zolile Williams, a member of the executive council, said the people of the coastal province have not been the same since the disaster hit, and many are now faced with the challenging task of rebuilding. 'Since June 9, this province has been hit hard by unprecedented, catastrophic and unimaginable disasters, where in the whole of the province, about 92 people have perished,' said Williams. 'Since that day, the Eastern Cape has not been the same. It is the first time we have experienced so many dead bodies, some of whom have not yet been found.' An extreme weather front brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow to parts of the province caused flooding in one of South Africa's poorest provinces last week, leaving dozens dead and roads, houses, schools and other infrastructure damaged. At least two school children who were washed away in a bus are among the unverified number of missing persons according to local media reports, while thousands have since been displaced. Authorities have appealed for residents to report missing people so rescuers could better understand how many people they were still looking for. Religious leaders from different Christian religions were among the hundreds of mourners who attended the memorial ceremony, lighting candles as a symbolic expression of remembering the 92 people who died in the floods. In a government notice on Wednesday, Elias Sithole, director of the National Disaster Management Center, said severe weather had caused property damage. and the disruption of vital services in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape, and the Free State, which prompted South Africa to declare a national state of disaster. The declaration allows the government to release funding for relief and rehabilitation and will remain in place until it lapses or until the conditions can no longer be categorized as such and is revoked by the head of the center. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently visited the town of Mthatha, in Eastern Cape province, where the floods hit hardest. Many of the Eastern Cape flood victims lived on floodplains close to rivers. Government officials said poor neighborhoods with informal dwellings were most severely impacted. Authorities have been criticized for the rescue response but also for the state of the infrastructure in the area.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
South Africa declares national disaster as flooding death toll rises to 92
South Africa was under a declared state of national disaster on Thursday as the death toll from floods caused by severe rains in the Eastern Cape region rose to 92. The Eastern Cape government honoured the victims of last week's floods with a provincial Day of Mourning and a memorial service at King Sabatha Dalindyebo Technical and Vocational Education and Training College in Mthatha, one of the few schools whose infrastructure remained intact. Speaking at the public memorial service, Zolile Williams, a member of the executive council, said the people of the coastal province had not been the same since the disaster hit, and many now faced the challenging task of rebuilding. 'Since June 9, this province has been hit hard by unprecedented, catastrophic and unimaginable disasters, where in the whole of the province, about 92 people have perished,' Mr Williams said. 'Since that day, the Eastern Cape has not been the same. It is the first time we have experienced so many dead bodies, some of whom have not yet been found.' An extreme weather front brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow to parts of the province caused flooding in one of South Africa's poorest provinces last week, leaving dozens dead and roads, houses, schools and other infrastructure damaged. At least two schoolchildren who were washed away in a bus are among the unverified number of missing persons according to local media reports, while thousands have since been displaced. Authorities have appealed for residents to report missing people so rescuers could better understand how many people they were still looking for. Religious leaders from different Christian religions were among the hundreds of mourners who attended the memorial ceremony, lighting candles as a symbolic expression of remembering the 92 people who died in the floods. In a government notice on Wednesday, Elias Sithole, director of the National Disaster Management Centre, said severe weather had caused property damage and the disruption of vital services in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape, and the Free State, which prompted South Africa to declare a national state of disaster. The declaration allows the government to release funding for relief and rehabilitation and will remain in place until it lapses or until the conditions can no longer be categorised as such and is revoked by the head of the centre. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently visited the town of Mthatha, in Eastern Cape province, where the floods hit hardest. Many of the Eastern Cape flood victims lived on floodplains close to rivers. Government officials said poor neighbourhoods with informal dwellings were most severely impacted. Authorities have been criticised for the rescue response but also for the state of theinfrastructure in the area.
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
South Africa declares national disaster as flooding death toll rises to 92
South Africa was under a declared state of national disaster on Thursday as the death toll from floods caused by severe rains in the Eastern Cape region rose to 92. The Eastern Cape government honoured the victims of last week's floods with a provincial Day of Mourning and a memorial service at King Sabatha Dalindyebo Technical and Vocational Education and Training College in Mthatha, one of the few schools whose infrastructure remained intact. Advertisement Speaking at the public memorial service, Zolile Williams, a member of the executive council, said the people of the coastal province had not been the same since the disaster hit, and many now faced the challenging task of rebuilding. 'Since June 9, this province has been hit hard by unprecedented, catastrophic and unimaginable disasters, where in the whole of the province, about 92 people have perished,' Mr Williams said. 'Since that day, the Eastern Cape has not been the same. It is the first time we have experienced so many dead bodies, some of whom have not yet been found.' An extreme weather front brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow to parts of the province caused flooding in one of South Africa's poorest provinces last week, leaving dozens dead and roads, houses, schools and other infrastructure damaged. Advertisement At least two schoolchildren who were washed away in a bus are among the unverified number of missing persons according to local media reports, while thousands have since been displaced. Authorities have appealed for residents to report missing people so rescuers could better understand how many people they were still looking for. Religious leaders from different Christian religions were among the hundreds of mourners who attended the memorial ceremony, lighting candles as a symbolic expression of remembering the 92 people who died in the floods. In a government notice on Wednesday, Elias Sithole, director of the National Disaster Management Centre, said severe weather had caused property damage and the disruption of vital services in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape, and the Free State, which prompted South Africa to declare a national state of disaster. Advertisement The declaration allows the government to release funding for relief and rehabilitation and will remain in place until it lapses or until the conditions can no longer be categorised as such and is revoked by the head of the centre. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently visited the town of Mthatha, in Eastern Cape province, where the floods hit hardest. Many of the Eastern Cape flood victims lived on floodplains close to rivers. Government officials said poor neighbourhoods with informal dwellings were most severely impacted. Authorities have been criticised for the rescue response but also for the state of the infrastructure in the area.
The Independent
a day ago
- Climate
- The Independent
South Africa declares national disaster as flooding death toll rises to 92
South Africa was under a declared state of national disaster on Thursday as the death toll from floods caused by severe rains in the Eastern Cape region rose to 92. The Eastern Cape government honoured the victims of last week's floods with a provincial Day of Mourning and a memorial service at King Sabatha Dalindyebo Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College in Mthatha, one of the few schools whose infrastructure remained intact. Speaking at the public memorial service, Zolile Williams, a member of the executive council, said the people of the coastal province have not been the same since the disaster hit, and many are now faced with the challenging task of rebuilding. 'Since June 9, this province has been hit hard by unprecedented, catastrophic and unimaginable disasters, where in the whole of the province, about 92 people have perished,' said Williams. 'Since that day, the Eastern Cape has not been the same. It is the first time we have experienced so many dead bodies, some of whom have not yet been found.' An extreme weather front brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow to parts of the province caused flooding in one of South Africa's poorest provinces last week, leaving dozens dead and roads, houses, schools and other infrastructure damaged. At least two school children who were washed away in a bus are among the unverified number of missing persons according to local media reports, while thousands have since been displaced. Authorities have appealed for residents to report missing people so rescuers could better understand how many people they were still looking for. Religious leaders from different Christian religions were among the hundreds of mourners who attended the memorial ceremony, lighting candles as a symbolic expression of remembering the 92 people who died in the floods. In a government notice on Wednesday, Elias Sithole, director of the National Disaster Management Centre, said severe weather had caused property damage. and the disruption of vital services in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape, and the Free State, which prompted South Africa to declare a national state of disaster. The declaration allows the government to release funding for relief and rehabilitation and will remain in place until it lapses or until the conditions can no longer be categorised as such and is revoked by the head of the centre. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently visited the town of Mthatha, in Eastern Cape province, where the floods hit hardest. Many of the Eastern Cape flood victims lived on floodplains close to rivers. Government officials said poor neighbourhoods with informal dwellings were most severely impacted. Authorities have been criticized for the rescue response but also for the state of the infrastructure in the area.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Hundreds honour children's hospice pioneer Eddie Farwell
More than 400 people gathered at Exeter Cathedral to celebrate the life and legacy of Eddie Farwell, the co-founder and former chief executive of Children's Hospice South West (CHSW).Mr Farwell passed away in March aged 68 following a diagnosis of motor neurone disease. The memorial service was also live streamed to hundreds more across the Farwell and his late wife Jill founded CHSW in 1991 after their personal experience of travelling long distances to access hospice care for their two children, Katie and Tom, both of whom had life-limiting conditions. Their vision was to ensure no family in the South West would have to travel more than 90 minutes for hospice led to the creation of three hospices: Little Bridge House in Barnstaple, Charlton Farm in Wraxall, near Bristol and Little Harbour in St service featured heartfelt tributes from Mr Farwell's daughter, Lizzy Farwell, and CHSW's new chief executive, Phil Morris."It is fitting that during Children's Hospice Week, we are bringing people together at Eddie's memorial service, where we will reflect on and celebrate all he achieved," Mr Morris requested by Mr Farwell, the Mousehole Male Voice Choir performed during the now supports more than 500 children and families across the region.
