As expected, the extended downpour of this morning has wreaked havoc, but response teams were well prepared.
Several roads were flooded through the night and trees uprooted across our suburbs. In Wynberg rooves were blown off on some of the buildings, while in Monwabisi park, the water table has risen extensively and severely flooded the area. Arrangements are being made to relocate approximately 500 affected residents to facilities made available by our Western Cape government and our heartfelt appreciation to Golden Arrow Bus Service for assisting with the transport requirements.
Various response teams are being coordinated by our Disaster Risk Management Centre to clear affected roadways from fallen trees and debris, while also pumping excess water into the stormwater system.
The congestion during the morning peak was handled effectively and while we saw increased volumes over an extended period, the ‘staggered aproach’ resulted in a marked reduction on traffic volume within the normal peak period. My greatest appreciation goes out to the companies who headed my call to adopt flexible operating hours for today.
We are not through the storm yet though. Weather reports indicate that a new wave of extensive downpours are set to reach our shores by 14h00 today, with these lashing across our municipality into the night.
Please ensure your vehicles headlights are working, adhere to a reasonable following distance, avoid changing lanes unnecessarily. Let’s all get home safely this evening.
Emergency teams are on full alert but we implore the public to immediately notify our call centre on 021 480 7700 to report any incident.