THE City of Cape Town has said its services remain on standby to handle weather-related incidents as the rain sets in over Cape Town today – and another front making landfall tomorrow.
That SA Weather Service forecast includes disruptive rainfall, strong winds and very cold conditions.
The City’s Disaster Risk Management (DRM) spokesperson Charlotte Powell said that services are on standby to deal with any impacts related to the predicted adverse weather conditions, like clearing flooded roadways, blocked drains and trees.
Powell also asked residents to help reduce flood risk by:
- Clearing out drainage systems.
- Raising the floor level of a structure so that it is higher than the natural ground level.
- Making sandbags.
- Digging trenches around the house to divert water away.
- Reporting blocked drains, intakes and illegal dumping – illegal dumping in the stormwater canals and sewers make flooding worse.
“Cape Town has experienced significant rainfall in the past two weeks, and some areas remain waterlogged. The City is providing as much assistance as possible to affected communities,” Powell said.
Over the past two weeks’ heavy rainfall, City of Cape Town teams have conducted hundreds of on-site assessments to see what assistance could be provided to flood-affected residents residing in low-lying informal settlements.
The City said that because of the low-lying terrain, and the multiple severe storms, the water takes some time to dissipate and some areas have remained waterlogged.
“City teams have also provided more than 2 500 flood assistance packets, and other materials and support where it has been possible to do so. The City has been engaging with various support organisations to help with soft relief.”
The City added that with more rain expected, their teams are monitoring the low-lying areas at risk of further flooding.
Mayco member for human settlements Malusi Booi said: “Prior to the winter rains, the City implemented flood-mitigation measures such as digging trenches, delivering milling material to raise the ground level and providing plastic sheeting and sandbags where possible. These interventions continue.
“The City continues to work on obtaining soft relief from relief organisations and the South African Social Security Agency."
Booi also thanked DRM, Transport and Informal Settlements teams for their commitment.