NSRI Assistance at Fire Disaster Continues

One of the NSRI collection points.

NSRI Plettenberg Bay and NSRI Knysna volunteer crews continue to assist at the Fires that have devastated the Eden and Bitou Districts of the Southern Cape between Sedgefield and Plettenberg Bay that has resulted in mass destruction to land and properties and causing injuries and sadly also loss of life and that has been declared a Disaster Area.

NSRI Port Elizabeth, NSRI Jeffreys Bay, NSRI St Francis Bay are supporting NSRI Knysna and NSRI Plettenberg Bay stations with drinking water, essential needs, medical consumables, food, clothing, blankets and medical oxygen.

NSRI Headquarters are assisting to coordinate financial aid deposited by the public and NSRI supporters in support of the NSRI stations that are deployed in this crisis donations made by those not able to provide physical or material assistance.

See NSRI Facebook for details HERE

The NSRI Facebook page and the NSRI web page have details posted on how to continue support for the NSRI stations, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, and the national public response continues to be applauded during this difficult time.

Collection points and times will continue to be posted to the NSRI Facebook page and on the NSRI web page and DHL are supporting the NSRI with deliveries of relief material collected from across the country and the support from DHL has been fantastic.

Both sea rescue stations have continued unrelenting to assist the emergency services and the public with fire fighting, coordination of resources, evacuations, relief efforts, manning of the Joint Operations Control Centres and medical treatment of the sick and injured, animal evacuations and monitoring of flare ups brought by Berg wind conditions and strong winds.

In rough conditions NSRI Knysna launched sea rescue craft to evacuate residents from Belvidere and sea rescue craft continued to be used to ferry people across the Knysna Lagoon and from upstream of the Knysna River throughout this ordeal.

NSRI Knysna continued with water distribution from a warehouse during the night and NSRI Plettenberg Bay, working in buddy groups of a minimum of 2 persons and using pin drops on the NSRI operations whatsapp group to give their locations to the command post, have continued to fight fires from flare ups throughout the night and fire fighting efforts are continuing to be dealt with across the Bitou District around Plettenberg Bay.

Resources, particularly around Plettenberg Bay, are currently stretched to their limits and rest has not been an option for emergency crews and our NSRI volunteers.

From this morning NSRI Wilderness have been placed on high alert to assist emergency services with possible evacuations from Buffels Bay and Sedgefield where a Northerly wind has caused the fires to turn to heading Easterly and threatening these areas.

Those affected by this crisis are commended for the support they are giving each other during this trying time.

TO REPORT A SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY DIAL 112 FROM A CELLPHONE

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