The beautiful town of Knysna has been devastated by fires this week. The town was declared a disaster area on Thursday, after lives were lost, hundreds of homes were destroyed and around 10 000 residents were evacuated from their homes.
At the moment, most of the fires are under control, and officials and residents are now focussing their attention on mopping up and assisting the people affected.
How do we help these residents pick up the pieces, rebuild the ruins and start again? Time and again we have seen South Africans showing resilience and coming together in disastrous times. As we speak, South African businesses and the public are rallying together to send money and goods to the victims and firefighters involved in fighting the fires.
If you would like to help, here are some of the organisations that you can get in touch with:
Gift of the Givers
Gift of the Givers, has sent ten of its emergency services specialists, ambulances, supply trucks and support personnel to Knysna and it has brought along 32 tons of bottled water, blankets, diapers, food items and tents.
Click here to contribute to Gift of the Givers
Below are the details for a number of organisations have volunteered to transport donated goods to the affected area.
These are the types of goods needed:
- Blankets and pillows
- Clothing (especially jerseys and jackets at this time of year)
- Towels
- Nappies and baby bottles
- Toiletries
- Sanitary towels
- Water
- Non-perishable food (including baby food and formula)
- Pet food
- Lip ice for firefighters
DHL – free delivery for donated goods
DHL Express has set up a local disaster response team to assist in the relief efforts. DHL will be delivering essential supplies such as non-perishable food items, blankets, clothing and first-aid supplies to the region via road as well as air freight. All City of Cape Town fire stations have been declared “official drop off points” for donations as have 39 DHL locations across South Africa.
View the list of locations here
Pick n Pay - order online and they will deliver
You can order any goods that you would like to donate online on the Pick n Pay website and they will take care of the rest.
Click here to visit their Knysna Fire Relief Page
Durban Collection
Local courier company, City Logistics have also agreed to transport all donations free of charge to Eden District Fire Station in George for distribution.
Schools involved with the collections are: Victory Christian Academy, Northlands Girls High School and Northwood Boys.
Donations should be dropped off before 15th June 2017 to Dolly Lauf, Danville Park Girl’s High School. 21 Middlebrook Avenue, Durban North.
Discovery Clients:
Discovery clients affected by the WC disasters may contact Discovery 911 on 086099911 for help, including food , transport or temporary accommodation.
RE/MAX Foundation
Our friends at RE/MAX who have offices in the area are also involved and have requested help for victims of the Garden Route fire by donating any amount to the RE/MAX Foundation bank account below and they will make sure that every cent reaches the right organizations that are helping those in need.
EFT any amount to:
RE/MAX Foundation
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch: 025609
Account: 282252010
Reference: fire
Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the fire.
