DURBAN - THE La Mercy family, who had to move out of their home after a mudslide hit their property last week, are still struggling to clean out the yard.
Last week, The Mercury reported that Natalie Cooper and her mother Saroj Naidoo were rescued after they were trapped in their house due to a mudslide caused by heavy rain.
The mudslide came after a nearby house partially collapsed last month after a stormwater pipe burst in heavy rains.
Cooper’s husband, Matthew, said yesterday that the family were still struggling to remove the mud in the yard.
“I have hired some guys to help me remove the mud in my house, but it is not easy because there is a lot to do and it is costing me a lot of money. I would really appreciate assistance,” he said.
Cooper said the family were currently staying with his brother-in-law but were going to move back into their La Mercy home despite them not feeling safe.
“We want to remove the mud so that the cars can get in. If that is successful, we will be able to move around.
“My kids are agitated and irritated because of the moving and because their routine has been disturbed. My pregnant wife is also frustrated and we have become paranoid, we are checking the weather every hour to see if it will rain,” he said.
He added that the family would appreciate assistance to fix the back fence in the property because the mud washed it away.
“I am frustrated because I cannot get anyone to come and check how safe the house is.
“I have seen contractors working on the road, but I hope that everything will be fixed before it rains again. We have not heard from the municipality,” he said.
Ward councillor Geoff Pullan said a construction company had been hired to install the stormwater pipe that had burst last month.
“This will secure the surrounding properties. The project is R7 million and this is the same (construction) company that fixed the M4 recently. We are confident with this company as they also did a job at the Umdloti sea wall,” he said.
THE MERCURY