INLSA
A neighbour tries to make sense of the scene in Clermont, where three people, including an 8-year-old, died on Sunday night when their rented room toppled on them.
Sinegugu Ndlovu and Lungelo Mkamba
ALAN Fick swam through water filled with broken glass and debris to rescue a trapped man who had driven into a flooded road hollow.
Armed only with his courage and a surfboard, he made sure that the man lived to see another day.
The heroic exploits of the eManzimtoti resident took place along Long Acres Drive in Doonheights around 9pm on Sunday night, when a thunderstorm and heavy rains battered the province.
Long Acres Drive is situated in a valley which tends to trap water when it pours heavily.
According to Fick, a puddle eventually turns into a “small dam” if it rains continuously. Fick was inside his house when he heard screams.
Alan Fick, left, shows how high the water rose to swallow an SUV whose driver tried to navigate Long Acres Drive in Doonheights, eManzimtoti, on Sunday night. The SUV, right, was submerged soon after Fick rescued the driver using his surfboard. Pictures: Terry Haywood/Netcare911
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When he saw that a man driving an SUV was trapped in the water, he grabbed his surfboard and ran for him.
“The water was about 2m deep when I swam in. It was rushing down the road. There was a lot of turbulence; debris and crushed bottles were in the water.
“The man was hanging out of the car window. At that time, the water had reached the level of the window. I gave him the surfboard to climb on the front and I paddled from the back.
“He would have eventually climbed on the car rooftop if I had left him. When I got him to dry land, the car was completely under water. It took 15 minutes for the water to swallow it,” he said.
Fick, who has 30 years’ surfing experience, said instinct had guided him through the dangerous water.
This was the third time he had rescued people in similar situations. However, he shied away from telling The Mercury about his other valiant deeds.
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“Fortunately, I’ve swum in the ocean. I felt brave when I grabbed my surfboard. I used it because it will float. They (trapped people) jump on you and end up dragging you down.
“The driver started screaming when he saw me. I don’t think he could swim; you could see he was panicking. I was more worried about his car; I could help him, but his car was completely under water by the time I got him out,” he said.
Netcare911 spokesman Chris Botha said paramedics and the police search and rescue unit had arrived at the scene and performed a search to ensure that no other people were trapped in the water. It took about 40 minutes for the water to subside after it had stopped raining. The car was towed to a local vehicle pound.
Several people, including a woman and her grandchild, who is less then a year old, were rescued from flood waters at the Palmiet Road informal settlement in Clare Estate.
Nobaleka Qasha was rescued at 1am by Netcare paramedics when four houses were flooded by the heavy rain.
Botha said the woman and the baby were taken to safety.
“They were both treated for the cold and the elderly lady had to be treated for an asthma attack,” he said.
The Mercury visited the Kennedy Road settlement, where 50 shacks were destroyed by the rain.
Several people were affected, most left without food and shelter.
