Many Lenasia residents had to flee their homes after heavy rains.
- More than 50 residents were rescued from their flooded homes in Lenasia.
- residents and emergency services canoes and boats used to help stranded people.
- The area is still flooded.
Some Lenasia residents remain stranded after their homes were flooded following heavy downpours on Friday.
Homes in Lenasia Extension 1 were severely flooded after rushing water from the neighboring Klip River flowed through.
Using small boats and canoes, rescuers stopped at every house along Flamingo Street, where the hardest-hit residents lived.
At noon, some affected houses were deserted.
Some cars were stranded and covered by water.
Those who lived in two-story houses stood on their balconies watching the water wash over their property.
Despite complaining of seeing snakes entering some homes, some brave residents waded into the water looking for their desperate neighbors.
Emergency personnel were on standby to assess those rescued.
Among the affected residents was Kashiefa Sheik, whose yard was severely flooded, to the point that the perimeter wall was not visible.
“This flood took us by surprise. At 07:00, the water levels were very low. I never thought it would flood. The rain had just stopped when I saw the water running through my garden. I thought the water was passing through. I was wrong. .
“The water quickly entered my house. It was a state of panic. Our belongings were completely damaged. Everything inside my house is floating.
READ | ‘I need help’: Screams are heard as Lenasia residents use boats to rescue neighbors from flooded homes
“I only managed to save my dog, cell phones, a laptop and some clothes. The water inside the house was up to my waist.
“I don’t know where to go from here. These are our houses. Our houses are under water. I hope our home insurance comes to our rescue. We usually have flooding in our area. This is the first time we have seen such high water inside our house,” Sheik said.
Nadia Mohamed, a neighbor, was relieved when her mother-in-law was rescued from a flooded house.
Mohamed shed tears and hugged the old woman, who was also crying.
Later, an ambulance took the retiree.
According to Pulsate EMS spokeswoman Mikhaeela Ibrahim, more than 50 stranded people were rescued from their homes in Lenasia Extension 1 after heavy downpours.
“We arrived at 08:00. The water levels were not too high. An hour later, he began to get up, entering the houses. Things got worse. People were trapped in their houses.
“We deployed our units. Other strategic companies and neighbors joined. We had old people trapped in their houses. They couldn’t move. We began to move them one by one independently.
“We start with older women, followed by men and youth. Saaberie Chishty Medical Services were on site assessing those rescued from their homes. We are monitoring the area. As for our security and rescue operation, everything is in order,” she said. Ibrahim.
A Johannesburg city councilor and minority party leader, Margaret Arnolds, assisted various emergency services in Eldorado Park and Lenasia.
“We are saddened by what is happening. I have been to Lenasia and Eldorado Park for the last three years after heavy rains. Our people suffer continually.
“I’ve been with EMS, search and rescue teams. We’ve helped people who live in Eldorado Park Cemetery. They were airlifted to safety. Then we ran here.”
“Yesterday (Thursday), I spoke to a colleague about the conditions in Lenasia after heavy rain. This place is terrible. People resorted to using their own boats to rescue their neighbours,” Arnolds said.
Meanwhile, six people trapped inside a truck along Abu-Avsat Drive, which links Soweto and Lenasia, were rescued by helicopter.
The occupants attempted to cross the flooded low bridge over the Klip River.
