Flood damage could reach N$30 million mark

THE focus at Mariental yesterday began to shift from saving lives to assessing the damage caused to houses, businesses and surrounding farms in the flooded area.

Houses are drenched in muck, electrical equipment obviously wrecked, and business records scattered and destroyed – the two-day flood was not as considerate in financial terms as it was in human casualties. Insurance company Santam Namibia announced yesterday that they expect flood-related claims to hit the N$30 million mark.The company has set up a temporary office at Mariental to assist with individual insurance claims and to help store items salvaged after the floods.When the town was last flooded in the year 2000, the damage cost the insurance company N$20 million.Residents who witnessed both floods maintain that the weekend’s inundation was twice as destructive as that of 2000.”Santam is expecting more damage following the heavy rains over the weekend,” the company agreed.BUSINESSES DOWN Chris Nell owns the Engen Mariental Fuel Centre and Wimpy fast-food restaurant situated on the same premises next to the main street, which is still inaccessible because of the flooding.Speaking to The Namibian from his business yesterday, Nell said he didn’t believe that it would be up and running in less than two months.”Right now it’s impossible for me to estimate the damage, but we’re working on a total loss,” a dismayed Nell added.”Everything will have to be replaced, all the electrical equipment, computers, everything,” he continued.His petrol pumps were flattened by the floodwater, Nell said, and because they were electrical, they are a total write-off, as is all the fuel in the station’s underground storage tanks.His business has also lost all its financial records; even backup files were destroyed when Nell’s house fell victim to the flood.Insurance is going to be a problem, as his insurer will only pay out a certain amount, and he will not be able to accommodate his 75 employees for the duration of the recovery process.”I have insurance against gross loss of income, but that won’t be enough to compensate them,” he says.The manager of the pig farm outside the town, Solomon Nemaire, could not say yesterday how many of the 13 000 pigs on the farm had been rescued.”Some died, some are still under water,” he said.He estimated that about “nine per cent” of the pigs had drowned.Another businessman at the town, Jan de Lange who owns the flooded Spar Centre, told The Namibian that he expects his business to be up and running in no less than six weeks.While saying that he can’t blame anyone for what some have described as “nature taking its course”, he is worried about the insurance companies and whether they’ll be ready for what’s coming.BANKING, FUEL Municipality CEO Paul Nghiwilepo yesterday reported that a Standard Bank automatic teller machine (ATM) had been put up in front of the municipality building, after residents had been coping without banking services for the duration of the floods.Bank Windhoek announced that they would resume normal banking services to the community today, after First National Bank allowed one of their employees to deal with clients at the FNB building yesterday.Nghiwilepo said petrol stations reported that they’d ordered and were awaiting fuel yesterday, after gravel roads had been graded to open routes to the northern and southern entrances of the town.All petrol at the town’s various stations had been contaminated with water, Nghiwilepo said yesterday.By yesterday afternoon, the municipality’s main concern was the town’s sewerage system, the CEO said, which had already started to emit a foul odour in the flood zone.This, he said, coupled with the fact that residents were still refusing to adhere to the municipality’s warnings not to drink the town’s water without boiling it, could very soon lead to health problems.The municipality was yesterday waiting for the Namibian Red Cross Society to set up a temporary water-purification system at the town.Hardap Governor Katrina Hanse said yesterday that the flooded area of Mariental would be without electricity for the next five days because of extensive damage caused to the electricity network.”That area will remain under Police patrol to safeguard property and infrastructure,” she assured residents.* FOR THE RECORD: Katrina Hanse was yesterday referred to as Karas Governor.She is, of course, the Governor of Hardap.We apologise for the error.* DENVER ISAACS THE focus at Mariental yesterday began to shift from saving lives to assessing the damage caused to houses, businesses and surrounding farms in the flooded area.Houses are drenched in muck, electrical equipment obviously wrecked, and business records scattered and destroyed – the two-day flood was not as considerate in financial terms as it was in human casualties.Insurance company Santam Namibia announced yesterday that they expect flood-related claims to hit the N$30 million mark.The company has set up a temporary office at Mariental to assist with individual insurance claims and to help store items salvaged after the floods.When the town was last flooded in the year 2000, the damage cost the insurance company N$20 million.Residents who witnessed both floods maintain that the weekend’s inundation was twice as destructive as that of 2000.”Santam is expecting more damage following the heavy rains over the weekend,” the company agreed.BUSINESSES DOWN Chris Nell owns the Engen Mariental Fuel Centre and Wimpy fast-food restaurant situated on the same premises next to the main street, which is still inaccessible because of the flooding.Speaking to The Namibian from his business yesterday, Nell said he didn’t believe that it would be up and running in less than two months.”Right now it’s impossible for me to estimate the damage, but we’re working on a total loss,” a dismayed Nell added.”Everything will have to be replaced, all the electrical equipment, computers, everything,” he continued.His petrol pumps were flattened by the floodwater, Nell said, and because they were electrical, they are a total write-off, as is all the fuel in the station’s underground storage tanks.His business has also lost all its financial records; even backup files were destroyed when Nell’s house fell victim to the flood.Insurance is going to be a problem, as his insurer will only pay out a certain amount, and he will not be able to accommodate his 75 employees for the duration of the recovery process.”I have insurance against gross loss of income, but that won’t be enough to compensate them,” he says.The manager of the pig farm outside the town, Solomon Nemaire, could not say yesterday how many of the 13 000 pigs on the farm had been rescued.”Some died, some are still under water,” he said.He estimated that about “nine per cent” of the pigs had drowned.Another businessman at the town, Jan de Lange who owns the flooded Spar Centre, told The Namibian that he expects his business to be up and running in no less than six weeks.While saying that he can’t blame anyone for what some have described as “nature taking its course”, he is worried about the insurance companies and whether they’ll be ready for what’s coming.BANKING, FUEL Municipality CEO Paul Nghiwilepo yesterday reported that a Standard Bank automatic teller machine (ATM) had been put up in front of the municipality building, after residents had been coping without banking services for the duration of the floods.Bank Windhoek announced that they would resume normal banking services to the community today, after First National Bank allowed one of their employees to deal with clients at the FNB building yesterday.Nghiwilepo said petrol stations reported that they’d ordered and were awaiting fuel yesterday, after gravel roads had been graded to open routes to the northern and southern entrances of the town.All petrol at the town’s various stations had been contaminated with water, Nghiwilepo said yesterday.By yesterday afternoon, the municipality’s main concern was the town’s sewerage system, the CEO said, which had already started to emit a foul odour in the flood zone.This, he said, couple
d with the fact that residents were still refusing to adhere to the municipality’s warnings not to drink the town’s water without boiling it, could very soon lead to health problems.The municipality was yesterday waiting for the Namibian Red Cross Society to set up a temporary water-purification system at the town.Hardap Governor Katrina Hanse said yesterday that the flooded area of Mariental would be without electricity for the next five days because of extensive damage caused to the electricity network.”That area will remain under Police patrol to safeguard property and infrastructure,” she assured residents.* FOR THE RECORD: Katrina Hanse was yesterday referred to as Karas Governor.She is, of course, the Governor of Hardap.We apologise for the error.Insurance company Santam Namibia announced yesterday that they expect flood-related claims to hit the N$30 million mark.The company has set up a temporary office at Mariental to assist with individual insurance claims and to help store items salvaged after the floods.When the town was last flooded in the year 2000, the damage cost the insurance company N$20 million.Residents who witnessed both floods maintain that the weekend’s inundation was twice as destructive as that of 2000. “Santam is expecting more damage following the heavy rains over the weekend,” the company agreed. BUSINESSES DOWN Chris Nell owns the Engen Mariental Fuel Centre and Wimpy fast-food restaurant situated on the same premises next to the main street, which is still inaccessible because of the flooding.Speaking to The Namibian from his business yesterday, Nell said he didn’t believe that it would be up and running in less than two months.”Right now it’s impossible for me to estimate the damage, but we’re working on a total loss,” a dismayed Nell added.”Everything will have to be replaced, all the electrical equipment, computers, everything,” he continued.His petrol pumps were flattened by the floodwater, Nell said, and because they were electrical, they are a total write-off, as is all the fuel in the station’s underground storage tanks.His business has also lost all its financial records; even backup files were destroyed when Nell’s house fell victim to the flood.Insurance is going to be a problem, as his insurer will only pay out a certain amount, and he will not be able to accommodate his 75 employees for the duration of the recovery process.”I have insurance against gross loss of income, but that won’t be enough to compensate them,” he says.The manager of the pig farm outside the town, Solomon Nemaire, could not say yesterday how many of the 13 000 pigs on the farm had been rescued.”Some died, some are still under water,” he said.He estimated that about “nine per cent” of the pigs had drowned.Another businessman at the town, Jan de Lange who owns the flooded Spar Centre, told The Namibian that he expects his business to be up and running in no less than six weeks.While saying that he can’t blame anyone for what some have described as “nature taking its course”, he is worried about the insurance companies and whether they’ll be ready for what’s coming. BANKING, FUEL Municipality CEO Paul Nghiwilepo yesterday reported that a Standard Bank automatic teller machine (ATM) had been put up in front of the municipality building, after residents had been coping without banking services for the duration of the floods.Bank Windhoek announced that they would resume normal banking services to the community today, after First National Bank allowed one of their employees to deal with clients at the FNB building yesterday. Nghiwilepo said petrol stations reported that they’d ordered and were awaiting fuel yesterday, after gravel roads had been graded to open routes to the northern and southern entrances of the town.All petrol at the town’s various stations had been contaminated with water, Nghiwilepo said yesterday.By yesterday afternoon, the municipality’s main concern was the town’s sewerage system, the CEO said, which had already started to emit a foul odour in the flood zone.This, he said, coupled with the fact that residents were still refusing to adhere to the municipality’s warnings not to drink the town’s water without boiling it, could very soon lead to health problems.The municipality was yesterday waiting for the Namibian Red Cross Society to set up a temporary water-purification system at the town.Hardap Governor Katrina Hanse said yesterday that the flooded area of Mariental would be without electricity for the next five days because of extensive damage caused to the electricity network.”That area will remain under Police patrol to safeguard property and infrastructure,” she assured residents.* FOR THE RECORD: Katrina Hanse was yesterday referred to as Karas Governor.She is, of course, the Governor of Hardap.We apologise for the error.* DENVER ISAACS THE focus at Mariental yesterday began to shift from saving lives to assessing the damage caused to houses, businesses and surrounding farms in the flooded area.Houses are drenched in muck, electrical equipment obviously wrecked, and business records scattered and destroyed – the two-day flood was not as considerate in financial terms as it was in human casualties.Insurance company Santam Namibia announced yesterday that they expect flood-related claims to hit the N$30 million mark.The company has set up a temporary office at Mariental to assist with individual insurance claims and to help store items salvaged after the floods.When the town was last flooded in the year 2000, the damage cost the insurance company N$20 million.Residents who witnessed both floods maintain that the weekend’s inundation was twice as destructive as that of 2000. “Santam is expecting more damage following the heavy rains over the weekend,” the company agreed. BUSINESSES DOWN Chris Nell owns the Engen Mariental Fuel Centre and Wimpy fast-food restaurant situated on the same premises next to the main street, which is still inaccessible because of the flooding.Speaking to The Namibian from his business yesterday, Nell said he didn’t believe that it would be up and running in less than two months.”Right now it’s impossible for me to estimate the damage, but we’re working on a total loss,” a dismayed Nell added.”Everything will have to be replaced, all the electrical equipment, computers, everything,” he continued.His petrol pumps were flattened by the floodwater, Nell said, and because they were electrical, they are a total write-off, as is all the fuel in the station’s underground storage tanks.His business has also lost all its financial records; even backup files were destroyed when Nell’s house fell victim to the flood.Insurance is going to be a problem, as his insurer will only pay out a certain amount, and he will not be able to accommodate his 75 employees for the duration of the recovery process.”I have insurance against gross loss of income, but that won’t be enough to compensate them,” he says.The manager of the pig farm outside the town, Solomon Nemaire, could not say yesterday how many of the 13 000 pigs on the farm had been rescued.”Some died, some are still under water,” he said.He estimated that about “nine per cent” of the pigs had drowned.Another businessman at the town, Jan de Lange who owns the flooded Spar Centre, told The Namibian that he expects his business to be up and running in no less than six weeks.While saying that he can’t blame anyone for what some have described as “nature taking its course”, he is worried about the insurance companies and whether they’ll be ready for what’s coming. BANKING, FUEL Municipality CEO Paul Nghiwilepo yesterday reported that a Standard Bank automatic teller machine (ATM) had been put up in front of the municipality building, after residents had been coping without banking services for the duration of the floods.Bank Windhoek announced that they would resume normal banking services to the community today, after First National Bank allowed one of their employees to deal with clients at the FNB building yesterday. Nghiwilepo said petrol stations reported that they’d ordered and were awaiting fuel yesterday, after gravel roads had been grade
d to open routes to the northern and southern entrances of the town.All petrol at the town’s various stations had been contaminated with water, Nghiwilepo said yesterday.By yesterday afternoon, the municipality’s main concern was the town’s sewerage system, the CEO said, which had already started to emit a foul odour in the flood zone.This, he said, coupled with the fact that residents were still refusing to adhere to the municipality’s warnings not to drink the town’s water without boiling it, could very soon lead to health problems.The municipality was yesterday waiting for the Namibian Red Cross Society to set up a temporary water-purification system at the town.Hardap Governor Katrina Hanse said yesterday that the flooded area of Mariental would be without electricity for the next five days because of extensive damage caused to the electricity network.”That area will remain under Police patrol to safeguard property and infrastructure,” she assured residents.* FOR THE RECORD: Katrina Hanse was yesterday referred to as Karas Governor.She is, of course, the Governor of Hardap.We apologise for the error.