Cape Town Fire and Rescue teams are expected to spend the next three days assisting Breede Valley communities in remote farming and mountainous areas that have been trapped by floodwaters.

A specialised rescue convoy left Cape Town on Wednesday afternoon, carrying rescue boats, inflatables, jet skis and technical rescue equipment.

The team also includes certified rescue technicians, divers and a drone unit.

The Breede Valley Municipality reached out to the City for help, as their resources were stretched thin.

They assembled at the Worcester Fire Station yesterday. City drones will be flying over the valley today, Thursday, 14 May, to determine the extent of the need, while diving units will start searching for people who have been reported missing in rivers.

Cape Town Fire Chief Clinton Manuel says heavy rain has led to masses of water flowing down from the mountains in the Breede Valley, leading to surging water levels and local rivers below overflowing.

NSRI rescue teams also remain active across the Western Cape as more reports of people trapped by floodwaters are received.

Teams responded to multiple flood emergencies across the province on Tuesday, including Citrusdal, Hermanus, Agulhas and Melkbosstrand.

Among those rescued were 8 families in Gouda, who were trapped along the Kleinberg River.

Emergency teams from the NSRI, SAPS and local municipalities reached the stranded group on Wednesday morning after days of heavy rain and freezing conditions. 49 people, including men, women and children, were evacuated safely.

Meanwhile, in the Cederberg, a humanitarian flight will deliver aid to hundreds of families in Wupperthal, who have been cut off by floodwaters.

Western Cape disaster response teams remain on high alert across the province, with officials warning that the Breede River remains in flood, while the Clanwilliam Dam is over capacity with all sluices open.

Residents are being urged to avoid flooded roads and low-water crossings as emergency services remain fully mobilised.

At least 10 weather-related deaths have been reported since 6 May, including at least four fatalities caused by falling trees, and the tragic death of three people, whose bodies were retrieved from floodwaters, on a farm between Rawsonville and Worcester.