City bowl takes a hit during storm

The disaster response to the storm that wreaked havoc around the Western Cape has now shifted to saving lives, said Anton Bredell, MEC of local government, environmental affairs, and development planning.

The storm hit on Sunday September 24 and Monday September 25 amid warnings from the South African Weather Service.

Premier Alan Winde urged residents to exercise extreme caution as the disaster response now shifts to assessments of the extent of the damage and mop-up operations. “This will take time and many affected areas will still not be accessible.”

Mr Bredell said the have identified a number of people in need of assistance, which ranges from basic supplies to medical evacuations requiring airlifts.

“The City of Cape Town informed us that approximately 6 000 people have so far been identified as in dire need, but these numbers will increase over the next few days,” Minister Bredell said.

According to the City, damages reported in the area were rockfalls and mudslides along Kloofnek Road; reports of roofs blown off; road closures band a number of fallen trees.

In Camps Bay, a section of road has been impacted. Sewer maintenance teams are attending to it. Parts of Bo Kaap and Oranjezicht were impacted by storm-related power outages, but the supply has since been restored.

An old oak tree in the parking lot of St George’s Cathedral was uprooted by the storm last night and came crashing down into the church’s fence.

Dean of St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, Reverend Michael Weeder, said he arrived at the church around 8am to find a window blown open and parts of the cathedral flooded.

A statement by the City’s head of disaster management, Charlotte Powell, said the roof was also blown off a private property in the city centre.

Ward councillor Ian MacMohan said there were reports of lots of fallen trees around the city bowl and debris in the roads, however, up to now, there were little reports of major damage being done to infrastructure.

He said he’s received reports of two cars damaged by fallen trees at Hope Street gardens, as well as a number of electrical issues.

He urged people to log requests via the City’s C3 notifications system.

Mr Bredell said although it was too early to calculate the cost of this storm, if viewed in the context of the June floods, and the recent coastal damages due to storm surges, this is becoming a very expensive winter for the Western Cape.

“Moving forward, the focus must be to further invest in early warning infrastructure and to make sure that new infrastructure is designed with adjusted climate change parameters in mind.”