The damage in Port Elizabeth was primarily due to the inadequate capacity of Baaken's River to handle the intense rainfall, despite its relatively small catchment area.

The city experienced a rainfall of 3.25 inches,[2] which alone was insufficient to explain the rapid transformation of a small stream into a 200-yard-wide and 20 to 30-feet-deep raging torrent within two hours.

The sudden rise of water gave people little time to escape, and some had to swim to safety, but a mule was fortunate enough to be washed onto the roof of the municipal stables while others perished.

Numerous buildings collapsed and extensive property damage occurred, with entire stores demolished and their contents, including produce and merchandise, scattered for miles along the North End Beach.

The residents of Cradockstown faced devastating destruction as the heavy rainfall lasted for four hours almost continuously, causing immense damage to previously fertile agricultural lands.

The powerful water swept away thousands of bundles of forage and wood that had been prepared over the past two weeks, as well as mature longstanding oak trees on the property were uprooted and carried a significant distance away.