Humanitarian aid is being provided to hundreds of residents across the Western Cape after inclement weather caused havoc in the province on Tuesday. Humanitarian aid organisation Gift of the Givers (GOTG) says its teams have been inundated with calls for assistance to help flood victims in both the West Coast and the Cape Metropole.
According to the organisation’s Ali Sablay, The West Coast Disaster Management Centre appealed to the team for urgent assistance as heavy rainfall caused localized flooding in Piketberg and Porterville.
Sablay says the severe flooding in the areas has made parts of the towns inaccessible, cut off parts of the town, and flooded many homes.
Various informal settlements around the City of Cape Town have reportedly also contacted the Gift of the Givers teams to report large-scale flooding in some areas. Sablay says teams are on the ground to do assessments where flooding was reported.
Sablay added that Gift of the Givers teams will be onsite on Wednesday in Piketberg and Porterville to distribute hot meals, blankets, and clean drinking water, as this was the town’s immediate request.
At the same, the organisation say they are still onsite and assisting the fire victims of New Rest Informal Settlement in Wellington and Joe Slovo residents in Milnerton who were affected by fires on Sunday.
READ MORE: A fire in Wellington claimed the life of a woman
On Monday, GOTG reportedly provided humanitarian relief to the Wellington residents who fell victim to the devastating fire that destroyed roughly 200 structures at the New Rest-Egoli.
According to the Drakenstein Municipality, the fire, which broke out just after midnight on Sunday, claimed the life of a woman and left many destitute.
Police were also reportedly called to the scene after community members allegedly tried to stab a Stellenbosch firefighter and slashed the fire engines’ pipes. The fire, which was fueled by strong winds, was extinguished at 5 am the same morning.
At the time, Sablay said the organisation was on site providing relief to roughly 800 residents who had been displaced by the fire.
READ MORE: 2 people, including 7-year-old boy, killed in Eersterivier fire
