Several roads flooded in Durban after heavy rain

Heavy rain led to flooded roads across Durban on Friday morning.

The eThekwini municipality said disaster teams were on high alert after a level 4 disruptive rainfall weather warning issued by the SA Weather Service (Saws) for Friday into Saturday.

The municipality said widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected to be accompanied by heavy downpours. The persistent rainfall may result in the flooding of roads, bridges and settlements, poor driving conditions, damage to infrastructure and destruction of mud-based houses.

Emergency responders warned motorists and homeowners to be cautious.

“We have received many reports of localised flooding. This includes large water puddles that have formed all over Durban. The hotspots are the M19 Umgeni Road under the N2 bridge, North Coast Road, the M4 near Riverside and the M13 near Fields Hill. The M19 and the M7 are extremely wet and dangerous.

“We urge all motorists to leave a little earlier and travel only if you have to. Ensureyour windscreen wipers and tyres are in good condition. Please drive with your headlights on so you are clearly visible to other road users and increase your following distance to allow stopping should you need to,” said ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson.

Marshall Security spokesperson Andreas Mathios said the M19 near Springfield was severely affected.

“A massive pool of water has started accumulating under the N2 bridge. Please proceed with caution and follow the instructions of a member of the public who is at the scene to assist motorists,” he said.

Earlier in the week Saws said heavy rainfall, widespread thunderstorms and a significant drop in temperatures were expected to hit most of the country from Wednesday.

It also predicted snowfall in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, and damaging hail associated with expected thunderstorms.

TimesLIVE