Improving disaster preparedness = safer communities

This report shows that residents of informal settlements across eight municipalities experienced widespread climate‑related and service‑related disasters over the past year (PDF, 1.07MB). Nearly 60% of residents reported floods, with the highest levels in Nelson Mandela Bay (100%), eThekwini (83%), and Cape Town (70%). Other major disasters included fires (affecting about one‑third of residents nationally), drought‑related water outages, windstorms, sewage flooding, and waste overflows problems worsened by poor basic services, overcrowding, and low water pressure, which intensified both fires and flooding. These events led to loss of homes, belongings, important documents, and illness, and residents recommended solutions such as climate‑change education, early warnings, improved drainage, proper waste disposal, stronger communication systems, and more reliable water infrastructure to improve disaster preparedness and resilience going forward.

Abstract based on original resource.