Garden Route Disaster Management Chief Gerhard Otto has highlighted that inclement weather in the Western Cape has forced them to close down schools during the examination period.
He emphasises that they are still waiting for the emergency shelter equipment to repair the 684 households damaged by the storm.
In Klip River, a man and a woman tried to cross the swollen Klip River late on Thursday. Both were swept away. Emergency Medical Services reported that they had rescued the woman, but the man died.
His body was recovered on Friday during a search operation.
Another body was recovered on Saturday after a similar attempt to cross rising waters in the Garden Route.
Otto has urged the public to refrain from crossing low-lying rivers to avoid more fatalities.
“There was a lot of rain. First of all, the areas affected were George, Knysna, and Plet. That was the first storm, with more than 300 millimetres of rain measured in some areas, and now the second storm brought the same. Again, it’s our eastern part of the district that was worst affected. This time, more than 300, I think 386 millimetres of rain in the Nature’s Valley area. So it was a lot of water that reached us. Low-lying areas flooded.
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Otto says many people were left cut off, and the disruption has been significant. “We close the schools to ensure the safety of the children… this coincides with the exam period, which makes the impact even more serious.”
Numerous trees have yet to be cleared, and a substantial amount of recovery work still lies ahead.
“Following the first storm, we estimated that 684 households were affected. Many homes suffered damage – including roofs being blown off or structures collapsing – and most of these have not yet been repaired. We are still awaiting emergency shelter kits for several of the affected families.
As for this latest storm, assessments are ongoing since water levels have only just begun to recede.
According to Otto, the initial storm caused municipal infrastructure damage of over R700 million. He further estimated that road losses surpassed R2 billion, with agricultural damage likely ranging between R7 and R8 billion.
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