Storms cause chaos
2007-05-24
THE long, sweltering summer has eventually come to an abrupt end with the first extreme cold-front of the winter leaving snow-capped mountains and an almost bursting Berg River in its wake.
More than 100mm of rain was measured in various areas of Drakenstein and the Wemmershoek Dam rose from a meagre 35% of capacity to 50%.
The Berg River was a grand sight, almost bursting its banks at Oosbosch and Westhoven Streets.
This may be one of the last times that the river will be flowing in all its glory, due to the fact that from July, only the necessary amount of water will be flowing, due to the river being impounded in order to start filling up the newly constructed Berg River Dam.
But the welcome rains and cold weather did not arrive without leaving its fair share of victims.
One man died on Saturday evening when he fell asleep in the veld near the Hermon Road. He was left exposed to the elements and it is presumed that he perished from the cold.
In OR, Mbekweni, 30 families had to evacuate their informal homes due to flooding.
A spokesperson of the rescue services said that the municipality had offered to house the victims in a community hall, but they found shelter on their own terms.
Food parcels and blankets were however distributed amongst them.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, a mini-tornado struck the small village of Gouda, blowing roofs off houses, and sending bricks flying.
A resident told how the whole town was shaken awake at approximately 03:00 the morning. Their first thought was that they were being hit by an earthquake.
“The shaking feeling was however followed by a severe wind which uprooted trees and electricity poles and bricks could be seen flying through the streets. A few cars were damaged by these.
About ten homes had their roofs ripped off as well.
“When the storm subsided the entire community assisted in helping their neighbours to repair the damage. Local farmers donated corrugated iron sheets for the homeowners who’s roofs were ripped off.”
The Metro Services had their hands full attending to accident scenes which were caused due to the wet roads. But none of these proved to be life threatening.
A spokesperson for the agricultural sector said that rain is always welcome, and the exceptional cold conditions are ideal for fruit growers.
The police were jubilant, as crime statistics also fell over the weekend, just like the temperatures.
“Bad weather is always the best police officer on duty.”
A light cold front will be passing through the area today which may bring scattered rain and temperatures will be remaining below the twenties until at least next week.
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