KwaZulu-Natal - Holidaymakers at a resort on the South Coast were woken in the early hours of on Sunday and evacuated from their tents when the Umtamvuna River burst its banks and threatened to wash away the campsite.
Tents filled with mud, and boats washed on to the grass were the last thing the Easter campers expected when they settled down to enjoy the long weekend at The Old Pont resort near Port Edward.
Tents, braais and other camping equipment had to be abandoned when the river burst its banks by about 100m.
No injuries were reported.
Erroll Piper of Hillcrest, who was camping with his wife, Jacqui, sons, Wesley, 11, and Matt, eight, and friends, said they were woken by security guards at 1am and urged to move quickly to higher ground.
“The water was already lapping at our tents. Boats had been washed up and were floating near the tents and cars.”
Eventually the water was about a metre deep inside the tent.
Piper said his children had warned him the car was in danger, “I rushed and moved it to higher ground.”
Piper said the site’s pub and swimming pool were damaged and many people lost camping gear.
The family returned at 7am to salvage what they could.
“We lost our skottel and gazebo. I even lost my cooler box filled with cold beer – it must be floating somewhere out on the river.”
He said some roads had been washed away. After fleeing the campsite, they parked at the top of a hill for an hour as there was no road to use.
Throughout the drama, it poured with rain.
“In the morning, some people found fish in their tents. It was quite an adventure for the family.
“The good news for us was that we were able to save all the Easter eggs.”
Department of Community, Safety and Liaison spokesman Kwanele Ncalane said he had not received reports about flooding near Port Edward, but the weather service had warned of heavy rain across the province.
The Mercury