NELSON MANDELA BAY | HEAVY RAINS SEES DAM LEVELS ONLY INCREASE TO 17%

Nelson Mandela Bay residents are seeing the silver lining of storm clouds.

Despite torrential rain leading to severe flooding in Nelson Mandela Bay, it's welcome relief for a region gripped by drought for the last eight years.

But the metro is not out of the woods yet.

Dam levels have only increased to 17 percent.

Farmers are now being asked to use water sparingly.

"We have weathered an eight-year drought, it is the strictest drought in NMB to date so we are thankful for the rain we have received, our dam levels have gone up from about 13 percent to 17 percent," said mayor Retief Odendaal.

"We are not out of the woods yet, we have got a small reprieve but we have to work very spaciously with our available resources." 

Meanwhile Eastern Cape communities are still recovering from torrential rain that wreaked havoc and left many people displaced.

Residents have also been struggling with raw sewage spilling into their homes, something made worse by the ongoing rain.

Underground cables have also been affected, causing longer power cuts and leaving residents without electricity for days on end.

Even though the rain has eased, freezing conditions have set in.

The Cogta MEC in the province, Zolile Williams, says short-term measures have been put in place to assist communities.

"About 1,000 members of the community have been affected," he said.

ENCA