Durban - Two uMdloti sisters, Janelle and Bianca Barnard, have turned to BackaBuddy for financial support after their family home of 28 years was gone in 24 hours because of recent heavy rains and flooding in KwaZulu-Natal.
Once again, uMdloti was one of the hardest hit as inclement weather battered parts of the province.
The weekend’s destructive weather came six weeks after deadly heavy rain and flooding swept through parts of the province.
On the BackaBuddy page, Janelle wrote: “28 years of treasured memories in our family home. A home that was to be destroyed in less than 24 hours. Our hearts are as heavy as the mud that stands up to our ceilings as we write this. An unyielding reminder of the devastation we’ve endured.”
“It is a surreal sight - red sand engulfed most of our possessions. Most painfully, we have lost a pet, irreplaceable family heirlooms and albums of the last pictures we have of our parents,” Janelle wrote.
“We have lost nearly all of our material possessions, but we have not yet lost hope, even though it is being worn down to its foundations by the weight of wet sand.”
Janelle said that they were no strangers to picking up pieces and having to start over.
She and Bianca lost their last living parent unexpectedly in 2019.
They have tried to hold everything together as best as they could, but it was just the two of them, and the pieces were becoming too heavy for them to carry on their own.
“We are appealing to everyone to help us gain some stability in what feels like living in quicksand. If we stand still, we will sink,” wrote Janelle.
She wrote that while their home was insured and insurance would help alleviate some of the weight, helping them fund temporary housing until the situation improves even slightly, they need to start clearing the devastation as soon as possible so that their foundations are not compromised further.
“We need to try searching through shoulder-deep mud for our cat. We need to pay for 24-hour security for the shell that remains. We need to begin replacing personal items not covered by our policies to start trying to regain some vague sense of normality,” Janelle said.
“If you are able to assist in any way, we are appealing to you to help us move forward. To help us rebuild our family home - the same home our parents built 28 years ago.”
Anyone willing to help can do so at help Bianca and Janelle.
Janelle and Bianca’s fundraising target is R200 000.
As of 12pm on May 24, 2022, donations had surpassed R75 000.
Daily News