Gale-force winds with gusts reaching up to 85 km/h in certain places and heavy rains wreaked havoc across the Overberg, causing some roads to be closed and leaving certain areas without water or electricity for short periods.
The first signs of the Level-9 storm warning issued by the South African Weather Service became prevalent on Saturday when gale-force winds started blowing.
Disaster management teams went into high gear and held several meetings since the weekend to discuss measures to mitigate expected damages as a result of the storm.
The predicted storms led to the Western Cape Minister of Education David Maynier’s announcement on Sunday that all schools in the Overberg, Cape Winelands and Cape Metropole areas would be closed on Monday. The decision to enforce the closures for another day (Tuesday 8 April) in the Overberg and Cape Winelands areas was announced on Monday.
The second day of closure, said the department, would be applicable only to 84 schools in the Overberg Education District. Monday’s closure affected 406 schools and nearly 270 000 learners.
The MEC’s office stated that reports of damage at 132 schools, ranging from minor to serious, were received.
“The total is likely to rise when staff return to school properties in the coming days,” Maynier said. “Our contractors were already on site at some schools as early as Sunday afternoon to prevent further damage from wind and rain.”
Services affected
On Tuesday morning Theewaterskloof Municipality reported that 80 mm of rain was recorded in the Grabouw area, with a further rainfall of 10-20 mm expected until Wednesday.
TWK Municipal Manager Wilfred Solomons-Johannes stated: “The power in Grabouw was affected by the inclement weather, but we are thankful to Eskom personnel who have restored power to Grabouw under difficult and unpleasant conditions.
“Telecommunications and cell signal are poor due to the adverse weather conditions, and we remind all motorists to please be vigilant and safe when travelling on the roads in wet and misty conditions.”
The municipality confirmed localised flooding and damage to the water network in some towns, including Grabouw, Greyton and Genadendal, but stated operations teams were hard at work to restore the water supply.
“Residents and customers in the affected areas should please be aware that some repairs can only commence once the strong flowing streams and water levels have dropped, due to safety risks,” Solomons-Johannes cautioned.
Overstrand Municipality stated it remained on high alert and will assist affected communities where possible. It reported that rainfall of 78 mm was recorded at Preekstoel Water Treatment Plant in Hermanus by 12:30 on Monday and, on average, 50-75 mm across the Overstrand. Emergency teams assisted with unblocking drains and clearing roadways that had been flooded. Sandbags and sand were also distributed to households that reported flooding.
Overstrand Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill said a close eye was being kept on the Klein River as it is expected that the water level might rise as the water in the Klein River mountain catchment area continues to drain into the Klein River estuary. Clarence Drive (R44) was reopened to traffic yesterday.
