Cape Town - Capetonians are urged to be vigilant on the roads when travelling during the school holidays as there are still communities affected by the recent flooding in the Western Cape.
Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell said several roads were still closed and others had only limited lane access or stop-go arrangements in place. said several roads were still closed and others had only limited lane access or stop-go arrangements in place.
On the N1 along De Doorns there is a stop-go arrangement which will be in place for at least three months. The N2 is closed outside Bot River, the R43 is closed in the direction Villiersdorp, the Hemel and Aarde Road is closed towards Hermanus, and the R321 is closed from Molteno Road in the direction of Villiersdorp.
Bredell said the City of Cape Town had updated its numbers of communities in need. A total of 21 011 people and 6 906 structures have been confirmed as impacted. Assessments were still outstanding for Covid Settlement, LA Burundi, and Strongyard in Mfuleni.
Hermanus suffered extensive damage to water supply infrastructure, and emergency services are currently supplying water with trucks and tankers for the entire community.
Anyone planning to visit the town should be considerate of water trucks on the road.
“Individuals are also encouraged to bring water along for their own needs. It would be much appreciated for visitors to also bring a few litres extra for someone in the affected communities.”
Also, the department is concerned about farmworker families, especially in the Breede River Municipality, and is doing everything in its power to connect and support everybody in need.
At Montague Drive, the various collapsed sections of the Montague Drive bulk sewer are being attended to. The City said the stormy weather this past weekend had delayed its work as the repair site was flooded and had to be cleared.
On Thursday, Eskom reported that about 7 000 customers remained without power after the storms. Owing to the extent of the damage, multiple teams are involved in a concerted effort to reconstruct the network to restore supply.
Premier Alan Winde visited the Breede Valley on Saturday to see the scale of the damage caused by the recent storm and flooding. The region was among several areas devastated by the adverse weather.
With the help of NGOs, about 700 people affected by the flooding in the Doorn River region have received relief aid so far.
“The extent of the damage is immense, and it will take time for us to recover but we need to learn lessons from this and past natural disasters. Future planning is critical in responding to the impact of climate change,” Winde said.