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15 June 2023
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Western Cape experiencing heavy floods after days of heavy rain
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Torrential rains in the Western Cape Province have been wreaking havoc over the two days ie 14 and 15 June 2023, with flooding reported in multiple areas across the province. The Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre (WC PDMC) together with the City of Cape Town Metro and the Municipal Disaster Management Centres as well as all other stakeholders were coordinating flood response activities in the Province. There are two more cold fronts on the way with most areas having reached saturation level already. Their report:
Department of Health and Wellness
Citrusdal is not accessible due to flooding. A child with a severe head injury was admitted to Citrusdal hospital since last night, 14 June 2023 and needs to be transferred to Cape Town urgently however, this is not able to be actioned by ambulance. Weather permitting, the Department of Health and Wellness will try to transfer the patient by helicopter.
Hermanus Hospital is still operating on a generator due to the power outage which Eskom is attending to.
City of Cape Town
Eskom restored the supply to customers in the Helderberg area after extreme weather conditions and the flooding of the Lourens River Substation in Somerset West, Gordons Bay, Sir Lowry’s Pass, Nomzamo and Strand. Disaster Management, Western Cape assisted Eskom to salvage the situation. Flood alleviation measures are continuing, especially in newly blocked storm water systems. Mudslides in the Oudeskip area in Hangberg, Hout Bay, the Eerste River/Kuilsriver have burst its banks, causing flooding of some properties in Zandvlei, Macassar.
Informal settlements have been affected in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, Old Crossroads and Schaapkraal areas.
The Mosselbank River burst its banks, affecting residents in Philadelphia and Klipheuwel. The Keyser River is a concern as it bursts its banks again.
The City‘s Roads and Infrastructure Management Services are assisting to divert water from surrounding properties. Numerous uprooted trees have been reported. Recreation and Parks are attending to these incidents. Numerous roadways have been flooded across the city.
Cape Winelands District Municipality
The Cape Winelands District Municipality is currently activated in response to the flooding impacts in the district.
Stellenbosch Municipality
Hollensche Molen: The 150 people evacuated and temporary housed at the hall on the premises are gradually leaving the shelter to go to their relatives. The Body Corporate provided them with emergency relief.
Wemmeshoek Dam: Management has implemented the slow release of water until Saturday, 17 June 2023, as the dam is full. This is a proactive measure in anticipation of the rainfall. The storm water department was requested to put up signage in various areas where the water was overflowing and leading to flooding. Various roads have been flooded and some road closures have occurred. Assessments are ongoing.
Drakenstein Municipality
Residents who were evacuated at Drommedaries Informal settlement are sheltered at the Mbekweni Community Hall and a soup kitchen has been activated.
General
50 residents at Gouda have been evacuated and sheltered at the Gouda community hall-they are also being provided with food through a soup kitchen. Huguenot-Tunnel: one lane is closed from Worcester to Cape Town. The N1 roadway in the direction of Paarl at East Truck Check Station has been closed as well as the R101 due to mudslides and rocks in the roadway. Sub-stations in Paarl East were flooded and reconnection is in progress. Corrective measures such as the installation of an extension breather pipe at all the substations. Paarl treatment works are flooded and water is overflowing into the Berg River and there is a concern that water could overflow into the riverbanks. There is a risk that people in the lower end of Wellington could be impacted by the catch pit blockages. An increased number of burst pipes may cause the sewer to run into the Berg River. There is an increased pressure on infrastructure due to the high volumes of water due to the overflow of Wemmershoek Dam.
Breede Valley Municipality
The 1 000 displaced persons in Rawsonville who have been accommodated in the church hall, were assisted by the Cape Winelands District Disaster Management Centre with the provision of 82 blankets and 10 food parcels. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) provided approximately 80 mattresses as well as warm meals.
West Coast District Municipality
Flooding in Elandskloof, Wupperthal. The area is not accessible. Municipal services as well as SASSA have been activated.
Multiple areas and roads including the N7 Roadway to Citrusdal have been affected by flooding. Cederberg Municipality, in collaboration with the South African Police Services (SAPS) as well as the Clan William Fire Department, evacuated the residents in Riverview to the Orangeville Sports Hall. Cederberg Local Municipality activated the JOC and officials are assisting residents. Trees were uprooted in Bergrivier.
Overberg District Municipality
Overstrand, Hermanus, Struisbaai is still without power. Eskom is assisting however, there is no estimated turn-around time. Franshoek pass has been closed. The Karsrivier and Breede River are being monitored for overflow. Challenges and road closures are anticipated. R45 Franschhoek Pass: The pass between Franschhoek (R45) and R321 have been closed off due to rock falls. The traffic authorities from the Theewaterskloof Municipality, Stellenbosch Municipality and Provincial Traffic have closed-off the road. Traffic is being redirected until the roadway is deemed as safe. Motorists have been advised to make use of alternative routes.
Garden Route District Municipality
George Municipality: Several areas have power outages.
Bitou Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported.
Knysna Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported.
Mossel Bay Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported.
Hessequa Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported.
Kannaland Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported.
Oudtshoorn Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported. Meiringspoort pass is open.
Central Karoo District Municipality
Reports of strong winds but no severe weather-related impacts were reported.
Members attached to the Western Cape Diving Unit have been deployed in the rural town of Wolseley to assist local authorities with a massive rescue operation to save those affected by severe flooding and extreme weather conditions today. A huge portion of the local community has been affected when people were trapped in their houses as a result of the high rainfall figurers experienced in the area. Vehicle mobility has been compromised and rubber ducks have been used to reach the flood victims. So far, divers have brought 54 people to safety and they will remain in the area to assist with the disaster management operations until the situation has normalised.
Gift of the Givers
In the early hours of the morning, Gift of the Givers team received urgent requests for assistance from various Municipalities and Disaster Risk Management teams. The scale of the situation necessitated the evacuation of thousands of individuals in:
- Breede Rivier Municipality, 1064 people were evacuated and will be accommodated in community halls
- Saldanha Bay Municipality, 600 people were evacuated
- Drakenstein Municipality, 360 families were affected, with Mbekweni being the hardest-hit area
- Theewaterskloof Municipality, 620 people were evacuated
- Cederberg Municipality, 430 people were evacuated
Sources: Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre, City of Cape Town, South African Police Service, Gift of the Givers
Quote of the week
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” ~ Confucius
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Lee Raath-Brownie
Managing director
Cell: 082 371 0190
Contact us
Tel: 011 452 3135 or Email: lee@fireandrescue.co
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Department of Health and Wellness
Citrusdal is not accessible due to flooding. A child with a severe head injury was admitted to Citrusdal hospital since last night, 14 June 2023 and needs to be transferred to Cape Town urgently however, this is not able to be actioned by ambulance. Weather permitting, the Department of Health and Wellness will try to transfer the patient by helicopter.
Hermanus Hospital is still operating on a generator due to the power outage which Eskom is attending to.
City of Cape Town
Eskom restored the supply to customers in the Helderberg area after extreme weather conditions and the flooding of the Lourens River Substation in Somerset West, Gordons Bay, Sir Lowry’s Pass, Nomzamo and Strand. Disaster Management, Western Cape assisted Eskom to salvage the situation. Flood alleviation measures are continuing, especially in newly blocked storm water systems. Mudslides in the Oudeskip area in Hangberg, Hout Bay, the Eerste River/Kuilsriver have burst its banks, causing flooding of some properties in Zandvlei, Macassar.
Informal settlements have been affected in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, Old Crossroads and Schaapkraal areas.
The Mosselbank River burst its banks, affecting residents in Philadelphia and Klipheuwel. The Keyser River is a concern as it bursts its banks again.
The City‘s Roads and Infrastructure Management Services are assisting to divert water from surrounding properties. Numerous uprooted trees have been reported. Recreation and Parks are attending to these incidents. Numerous roadways have been flooded across the city.
Cape Winelands District Municipality
The Cape Winelands District Municipality is currently activated in response to the flooding impacts in the district.
Stellenbosch Municipality
Hollensche Molen: The 150 people evacuated and temporary housed at the hall on the premises are gradually leaving the shelter to go to their relatives. The Body Corporate provided them with emergency relief.
Wemmeshoek Dam: Management has implemented the slow release of water until Saturday, 17 June 2023, as the dam is full. This is a proactive measure in anticipation of the rainfall. The storm water department was requested to put up signage in various areas where the water was overflowing and leading to flooding. Various roads have been flooded and some road closures have occurred. Assessments are ongoing.
Drakenstein Municipality
Residents who were evacuated at Drommedaries Informal settlement are sheltered at the Mbekweni Community Hall and a soup kitchen has been activated.
General
50 residents at Gouda have been evacuated and sheltered at the Gouda community hall-they are also being provided with food through a soup kitchen. Huguenot-Tunnel: one lane is closed from Worcester to Cape Town. The N1 roadway in the direction of Paarl at East Truck Check Station has been closed as well as the R101 due to mudslides and rocks in the roadway. Sub-stations in Paarl East were flooded and reconnection is in progress. Corrective measures such as the installation of an extension breather pipe at all the substations. Paarl treatment works are flooded and water is overflowing into the Berg River and there is a concern that water could overflow into the riverbanks. There is a risk that people in the lower end of Wellington could be impacted by the catch pit blockages. An increased number of burst pipes may cause the sewer to run into the Berg River. There is an increased pressure on infrastructure due to the high volumes of water due to the overflow of Wemmershoek Dam.
Breede Valley Municipality
The 1 000 displaced persons in Rawsonville who have been accommodated in the church hall, were assisted by the Cape Winelands District Disaster Management Centre with the provision of 82 blankets and 10 food parcels. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) provided approximately 80 mattresses as well as warm meals.
West Coast District Municipality
Flooding in Elandskloof, Wupperthal. The area is not accessible. Municipal services as well as SASSA have been activated.
Multiple areas and roads including the N7 Roadway to Citrusdal have been affected by flooding. Cederberg Municipality, in collaboration with the South African Police Services (SAPS) as well as the Clan William Fire Department, evacuated the residents in Riverview to the Orangeville Sports Hall. Cederberg Local Municipality activated the JOC and officials are assisting residents. Trees were uprooted in Bergrivier.
Overberg District Municipality
Overstrand, Hermanus, Struisbaai is still without power. Eskom is assisting however, there is no estimated turn-around time. Franshoek pass has been closed. The Karsrivier and Breede River are being monitored for overflow. Challenges and road closures are anticipated. R45 Franschhoek Pass: The pass between Franschhoek (R45) and R321 have been closed off due to rock falls. The traffic authorities from the Theewaterskloof Municipality, Stellenbosch Municipality and Provincial Traffic have closed-off the road. Traffic is being redirected until the roadway is deemed as safe. Motorists have been advised to make use of alternative routes.
Garden Route District Municipality
George Municipality: Several areas have power outages.
Bitou Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported.
Knysna Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported.
Mossel Bay Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported.
Hessequa Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported.
Kannaland Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported.
Oudtshoorn Local Municipality: No severe weather related incidents reported. Meiringspoort pass is open.
Central Karoo District Municipality
Reports of strong winds but no severe weather-related impacts were reported.
Members attached to the Western Cape Diving Unit have been deployed in the rural town of Wolseley to assist local authorities with a massive rescue operation to save those affected by severe flooding and extreme weather conditions today. A huge portion of the local community has been affected when people were trapped in their houses as a result of the high rainfall figurers experienced in the area. Vehicle mobility has been compromised and rubber ducks have been used to reach the flood victims. So far, divers have brought 54 people to safety and they will remain in the area to assist with the disaster management operations until the situation has normalised.
Gift of the Givers
In the early hours of the morning, Gift of the Givers team received urgent requests for assistance from various Municipalities and Disaster Risk Management teams. The scale of the situation necessitated the evacuation of thousands of individuals in:
- Breede Rivier Municipality, 1064 people were evacuated and will be accommodated in community halls
- Saldanha Bay Municipality, 600 people were evacuated
- Drakenstein Municipality, 360 families were affected, with Mbekweni being the hardest-hit area
- Theewaterskloof Municipality, 620 people were evacuated
- Cederberg Municipality, 430 people were evacuated
Sources: Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre, City of Cape Town, South African Police Service, Gift of the Givers
Quote of the week
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” ~ Confucius
Fire and Rescue International is your magazine.
Read it, use it and share it!
Download magazine PDFs: https://www.frimedia.org/fri-archives.html
Read the magazines online: https://issuu.com/fireandrescueinternational
Enjoy the read!
Lee Raath-Brownie
Managing director
Cell: 082 371 0190
Contact us
Tel: 011 452 3135 or Email: lee@fireandrescue.co
Websites
www.fireandrescue.co
www.frimedia.org
www.facebook.com/FireandRescueInternational
www.twitter.com/FRI_magazine
http://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-raath-brownie-16668065/
