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Floods in September 1987 became the deadliest natural disaster in the history of South Africa, with 506 fatalities.

A cut-off low moved across South Africa, fueled by moisture from the southeast. Over a five-day period beginning on September 25, parts of Natal province in eastern South Africa received as much as 900 mm (35 in) of rainfall. The heavy rainfall ended on September 29. Over three days, Mtunzini recorded 801 mm (31.5 in) of precipitation. The heaviest rainfall occurred in mountainous areas, causing landslides and flash floods, particularly in rivers. Water levels along the Umgeni River were so high that it washed away an entire island. The Mvoti River swelled to a width of 900 m (3,000 ft), from its normal width of 35 m (115 ft). There were a total of 506 fatalities related to the event. The floods damaged more than 30,000 houses, leaving more than 50,000 people homeless. Damage was estimated at US$500 million. 14 bridges were washed away. The floods destroyed four aqueducts serving the Durban metropolitan area, leaving people without water. Several rural villages were entirely destroyed. The floods also wrecked fields. Flooding of the Tugela River near the township of Mandini caused the loss of the John Ross Bridge, which was considered the largest infrastructure loss at the time and which was subsequently rebuilt in a record time of approximately 6 months at the behest of the South African government.

After the floods, officials discouraged drinking water due to the contamination of supply, The military airdropped pamphlets to residents how to purify their water.

See also

• 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods - deadly floods in 2022

References

1. ^ "Proceedings of the South African Sugar Technologists ' Association- June 1988 PROTECTION AGAINST FLOOD DAMAGE". CiteSeerX 10.1.1.379.8935.
2. "A river ran through it". 28 July 2016.
3. Bell, F. G. (1994). "Floods and Landslides in Natal and Notably the Greater Durban Region, September 1987: A Retrospective View". Environmental & Engineering Geoscience. xxxi (1): 59–74. Bibcode:1994EEGeo..31...59B. doi:10.2113/gseegeosci.xxxi.1.59.
4. "Extreme Events".
5. ^ "The worst South African floods". 4 August 2020.
6. "South Africa Floods Kill 174 and More Rain is Predicted". The New York Times. 4 October 1987.
7. "Greatest South African Natural Disasters". 25 March 2021.
8. Marais, GP; Gunthorp, MR (January 1988). "Effect of the September 1987 floods on the road infrastructure in Natal". The Civil Engineer in South Africa: 39–42 – via Sabinet.
9. "Flood waters recede in South Africa's worst natural disaster".

• 20th-century floods in Africa
• 1980s floods
• 1987 natural disasters
• 1987 in South Africa
• Floods in South Africa
• 1987 disasters in South Africa