Further heavy rainfall is forecast across KwaZulu-Natal Jan. 17, including over areas still recovering from severe flooding in recent days. The South African Weather Service has issued level 5 (out of 10) orange disruptive rain warnings across coastal and northern parts of the province and yellow level 4 warnings across the rest of KwaZulu-Natal Jan. 17. Heavy downpours could trigger additional flooding in low-lying areas, especially in areas where river levels are already high and the ground is saturated following previous heavy rainfall.
Response operations are ongoing in parts of the province following heavy rain and associated flooding Jan. 13-14. Affected areas include parts of Durban and the wider eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, as well as parts of Kwadukuza and Ndwedwe municipalities. Authorities have reported at least 13 weather-related fatalities and at least six others injured. Around 250 homes have been damaged and several roads and bridges have been made impassable…