Disaster Victims Can Get Help from the City

The City of Ekurhuleni provides relief to resident victims of natural and non-natural disasters.

Natural disasters commonly experienced in the City are floods, strong winds, hail/thunderstorms, tornados, sewer spillage and sinkholes, whilst man-made disasters include fires, civil strife/xenophobia and arsons.

Ntate William Ncaba (52) benefited from the City’s disaster relief programme after his home in KwaMax in Kempton Park was burnt in a shack fire. He said the City rebuild his shack, and re-blocked their settlement to make it easier for emergency vehicles to access the area in a disaster. The City also provided solar panels so that they are able to charge their cellphones that will go a long to being able to call the emergency services.

“The re-blocking also contributed to reducing crime because shacks are no longer congested and it is easier to see a person from a distance,” he explained.

The City is involved with other stakeholders who have donated fire-safe appliances such as prototype stoves (using gel), solar lights, power banks and fire extinguishers to some informal settlements affected by shack fires.

In an Emergency

For the City to intervene in an emergency related incident, the following process is followed:

• A call is logged, or incident reported to the life-threatening call centre on 011 458 0911. This call goes through to the three operational regions and assistance is dispatched to the area. If an incident was not reported, a ward councillor/ward committee member will report on behalf of the communities.
• In case of a fire, the first responder is emergency services.
  • Second to respond is disaster management, who assess the damage, people and infrastructure affected and what is needed, such as clothing, food, shelter, counselling and emotional support.
  • Emergency relief items, food parcels, utility packs, blankets and mattresses are issued to the affected household.
  • The role of Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) is then done, but the relief process continues with relevant departments. A report based on the assessment is forwarded to Social Development, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), Human Settlements, Ward Councillor, Customer Care Area manager, and other relevant internal stakeholder departments.
• For shack fires, the City assists by providing temporary shelters to affected families and Human Settlements Department rebuilds the shack. For a bond house, household insurance must be in place unless the homeowner is registered as indigent.

In case of Life-Threatening Emergencies please call the following numbers for assistance:

• Life Threatening Ekurhuleni Emergency Line: 011 458 0911
• National Toll-Free Number: 10177
• 112: Cellphone