More weather warnings have been issued for the coming weekend. This follows several severe cold fronts that have been lashing the Western Cape in recent weeks. The inclement weather has led to widespread destruction and tens of thousands of people impacted.
On Wednesday, the South African Weather Service issued an advisory for orange level 5 disruptive rainfall over Cape Town and surrounding municipalities on Saturday. The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre’s Sonica Lategan said teams will be on high alert to deal with whatever awaits.
“Cape Town has already received significant rainfall this month, so the soil and waterways in many parts of the city remain well saturated. All City services will be put on standby to deal with the impacts from the forecast. We advise the public to please take heed of the current advisory and to start implementing any possible mitigation measures around their properties in the interim,” said Lategan.
READ MORE: WC government’s preparedness ahead of next cold front
The significant rainfall received this winter has led to the total Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) storage being at 99,61%.
In addition, the weather service issued a yellow level 4 warning for disruptive rain leading to disruption of traffic flow due to major roads being flooded and damage to property for the southern West Coast, Langeberg, Overstrand and Cape Agulhas municipalities, also for Saturday 27 July 2024.
HERE IS HOW YOU CAN PREPARE:
- Clearing out drainage systems
- Raising the floor level of a structure so that it is higher than the natural ground level
- Raise furniture on bricks to clear from the floor to limit water damage
- Make sandbags
- Dig trenches around the house to divert water away from the house
- Report blocked drains, intakes and illegal dumping – illegal dumping in the stormwater canals and sewers make flooding worse
- Waterproof roofs, clear gutters and remove dead tree branches
