'I saved my child by swimming out of our house': Can you can help a flood victim who lost everything including her income-providing sewing machine?

Families who have lost everything in the devastating floods in the Eastern Cape, have to start rebuilding their lives.

The death toll rose to 88 on Saturday and it's unclear how many people are still missing.

Sara-Jayne Makwala King speaks to one flood victim who managed to save herself and her two-year-old daughter by swimming out of the house they were living in.

Fiona Ngcamba is one of those residents who has lost not only her home, but all her belongings.

These include her sewing machine, which provided a means of putting food on the table for her little girl.

Ngcamba describes the terror of the flood, and how she was woken in the early hours of the morning when the water was already waist-high in her house.

"It was an act of God because my door flew inside the house but I didn't hear it - what woke me up was my cupboard crashing with all my cutlery and crockery inside. By that time the water had passed my waist and it was rising quickly. I had to just think fast; that was the only thing that saved me."

Fiona Ngcamba, Eastern Cape flood victim

Ngcamba speaks about experiencing survivor's guilt; her next-door neighbour did not make it out of her house.

"My neighbour couldn't find her house keys and unfortunately she passed away. So you think about things like that, and you wonder, what is it about me that enabled me to survive?."

Fiona Ngcamba, Eastern Cape flood victim

The dressmaker is currently being put up by a friend and, like many others, has received some assistance at a centre that government set up in an old school building.

Aside from needing basic items like clothing and a mattress, it's a replacement sewing machine that is the key to her earning some money again.

"I used to have a sewing machine, an industrial straight sewing machine and overlocker. That's basically what I need to get back on my feet, plus thread and fabric. I've lost metres and meters of fabric..."

Fiona Ngcamba, Eastern Cape flood victim

If you are able to assist Ngcamba in any way, or any of the many others in her position, you can get in touch with us.

Whatsapp CapeTalk at 072 5671567 and our producer will put you in touch with her.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview