Death Toll Climbs Above 300 In Wake Of South African Storm

At least 306 people have been confirmed dead after extreme rainfall set off devastating floods that swept away hillsides, bridges, and roads and destroyed homes in and around the port city of Durban, South Africa. AFP reports the storm is the deadliest in the nation’s history. “My neighbours, they tried to assist me,” Meli Sokela, whose home collapsed in the flood, told Reuters. “After two hours I survived but unfortunately my child did not survive.” Parts of the KwaZulu-Natal province were inundated with more than 18 inches of rain in 48 hours, nearly half Durban’s annual average rainfall.

“This disaster is part of climate change,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said. “We no longer can postpone what we need to do … to deal with climate change. It is here, and our disaster management capability needs to be at a higher level.” (AFP, AP, Reuters, BBC, CBS, Al Jazeera, CNN, New York Times $, Reuters; Port operations: Bloomberg $; Climate Signals background: Extreme precipitation increase)