The Western Cape government has requested a provincial disaster classification from the National Disaster Risk Management Centre due to ongoing storms in the region.
On Friday, Anton Bredell, MEC for Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs, and Development Planning, stated that the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) meeting showed that two further cold fronts are scheduled to reach landfall on Saturday, July 13, and Sunday, July 14.
The meeting revealed that 100,000 individuals have been affected in Cape Town, and 33,000 structures have been damaged due to weather conditions.
“We have a massive humanitarian crisis to cope with, and all authorities are working together to resolve it. We have sought the National catastrophe Management Centre for a provincial catastrophe classification and expect an announcement soon,” Bredell stated.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has requested national authorities to accelerate the procedure.
“We absolutely need more resources to continue our disaster management efforts. Assessments still need to be finalized, and we, as the Western Cape government and our stakeholders in the province, are working tirelessly to complete this process. I’d like to thank everyone again for everything they do to help our citizens, especially the most vulnerable,” Winde remarked.
The South African Weather Service (Saw) issued a Level 6 warning for disruptive rain in Drakenstein, Stellenbosch, and Witzenberg over the weekend.
“According to the predictions, we can expect between 60 to 100mm of rain in the mountainous areas. Our dams and rivers are full, and our catchments are saturated, so any additional rainfall could lead to flooding, mudslides, and rock falls. We repeat our call to the public to stay safe, avoid unnecessary travel, and keep informed through reputable news outlets,” Bredell said.
Citrusdal is currently cut off from all access routes, and authorities are attending to the situation. Provincial traffic services are allocating additional resources to provide support.
The Department of Water and Sanitation reported that dam and river levels continue to rise.
- The Breede River at Swellendam is currently flowing at more than 1000m³ per second, which is at a level where the river could start to breach its banks. Larger volumes of water is expected to come down the river in the coming days.
- The Clanwilliam Dam in the Olifants River is currently at 107%, and the controlled release of 1100m³ per second is being implemented. Downstream communities need to take note and exercise caution in the coming days.
- In Laingsburg, the Floriskraal Dam is at 118%, and communities in the immediate downstream vicinity have been alerted of the risk of flooding.
- The Berg River Dam is currently at 103%, and a flow volume of 396m³ was measured at Paarl in the Berg River this morning.
- The Theewaterskloof Dam is currently 90% full.
- Voëlvlei Dam is at 79% capacity.
Bredell thanked all stakeholders and officials who worked tirelessly this past week to help those gravely affected by the adverse weather conditions.
“Our focus will remain on keeping people safe until the severe weather has passed,” he said.
