A couple died in Adam's Mission in February when a mudslide damaged their home in heavy rains. A psychologist has said the psychological impact of severe weather events must be acknowledged. Picture: Sibonelo Ngcobo Independent Newspapers
Image: Picture: Sibonelo Ngcobo Independent Newspapers
KwaZulu-Natal’s continuous cycle of losing homes, rebuilding, and waiting for the next devastating floods has left communities emotionally drained and struggling to cope with the mental toll of disaster fatigue.
The disaster-prone province has endured wave after wave of devastating floods, each leaving behind a trail of destruction, displacement, and grief.
Dr Kerry Frizelle, a counselling psychologist at the University of the Western Cape, said survivors of repeated disasters, such as the KZN floods, are experiencing disaster fatigue, a form of emotional exhaustion that has long-term consequences.
“The literature refers to disaster fatigue as a form of emotional exhaustion that builds up and occurs in response to disasters that happen repeatedly. Essentially, emotional fatigue results in demotivation and a decrease in behaviours that would help to address the disaster,” said Frizelle.
In April 2022, KZN was hit by one of the deadliest floods South Africa has ever recorded. Torrential rains caused rivers to swell, roads to collapse, and homes to be washed away.
Over 430 people lost their lives, and thousands were left homeless as entire neighbourhoods in eThekwini, OThongathi, and surrounding areas were submerged.
“I left Inanda after I lost everything from the 2022 floods. I now live in Mthatha with my relatives. I lost everything from those floods, and my life was never the same. I’m still hurting to this day,” said Bonga Maso, who was among those displaced by the disaster.
“During the floods, I saw my neighbours who were very close to me getting washed away. I can still vividly see that memory. I’m terrified of the rain, and I never got any counselling. It is very difficult to ask for psychological help because a man does not cry,” Maso added.
For others, the loss was even more profound. “I lost my mom, my child, my brother, and my cousin’s child during the 2022 floods,” said a woman who gave her name as Nomame.
“It really hurt me, and I don’t think I will ever recover. I do not see the need to get counselling because it won’t bring them back.”
Like many survivors, she chose to leave. “I moved to Johannesburg because I no longer have anything to do with Durban.”
Thokozani Mdlalose lost 10 family members in the 2022 floods, and the emotional toll on his family has been devastating.
“After that, our lives were never the same. No one helped my grandchildren who survived, and they had to find means to survive on their own. Out of the 10 family members we lost, four of them have not been buried because their remains are still in forensics. That really hurts us that they have not been laid to rest.”
Last month, another round of flash floods hit eThekwini, killing seven people and displacing many others. Roads and infrastructure damaged in 2022 still had not been fully repaired when the latest storms arrived.
Weeks later, another deadly storm claimed two more lives. For some, it was the second time they had lost everything.
“We are currently staying at the Bayside, courtesy of the government, while they are sorting out our housing,” said Nqobile Qama, who survived the latest floods.
“We are traumatised and can’t seem to get over the experience we went through. Social workers did come to offer some help, but I think people here still need more counselling. When it rains, we get flashbacks and have to relive the experience again.”
The repeated trauma of rebuilding only to lose everything again has left many frustrated.
“After the 2022 floods, we were placed in the Lamontville transit camp, only to be hit by floods again after years of trying to recover,” Qama said.
“The fact that we got hit by floods twice is very devastating, and it angers us.”
Lungelo Ndlovu, leader of the Lamontville transit camp, confirmed that support services are being provided to those displaced by the recent floods, including counselling for Ntombikhona Mhlongo, whose mother remains missing.
Dr Frizelle explained that when disasters strike the same communities over and over again, this exhaustion evolves into community fatigue, where entire neighbourhoods feel defeated and less able to plan for future disasters.
“When a single disaster occurs, it is likely that you will see community mobilisation and collective initiatives to respond and recover. But when the event persists or reoccurs, people are likely to run out of physical and emotional resources.”
“They feel demotivated and helpless and are therefore less likely to respond as they would the first time the disaster occurred.”
She also linked disaster fatigue to the brain’s natural survival mechanisms.
“In dangerous or stressful situations, people’s brains and nervous systems are designed to activate the fight or flight response, they either actively confront the threat or try to escape it,” she explained.
“If neither of these are possible, the third response – freeze – occurs. This might explain what happens with disaster fatigue.”
KZN Premier Thami Ntuli and eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba visited the flood victims on Sunday. Ntuli acknowledged the challenges the province faces in responding to disasters of this scale.