Waterlogged
2007-06-14
AFTER a week of torrential downpours, the Drakenstein area can eventually dry its feet for a while.
More than 120mm rain was measured during the past week, but the only large scale damage was reported in Gouda, where numerous houses and shops had to be evacuated, including the police station, when the Berg River flooded most of the town.
A man had to be rescued from his rooftop by police divers, after he fled from the rising water.
The water subsided quickly and the emergency services assisted the public in drying out their homes.
On Sunday, police divers launched an extensive search for a man who was swept away with his bicycle on the low water bridge on the Berg River farms road near Wellington.
Ricardo Koopman (22) of Fleur de Lis farm on the Hermon Road was warned on Saturday evening not to use this bridge, but to use the safe overhead suspension bridge nearby.
According to his uncle, Ronnie Koopman, he refused and they could hear him scream as he was swept away by the raging Berg River.
Police divers searched all of Sunday for Ricardo, but were forced to abandon the search in the afternoon due to bad light.
As they were launching a rubber-duck into the river on Monday morning to continue their search, they were told that Ricardo had arrived safely at work that morning.
He had been swept away by the river, but was able to grab onto branches further down the river, before finding his way home.
He was not aware of the search which had been launched for him.
Mixed reaction has been received from the farming community after the heavy rain.
Vine farmers welcome the long term advantages of the week long downpours which should pave the way for a good season ahead.
Emergency services in Paarl were on full alert over the past weekend in case of storm damage, but they were relieved that disaster did not strike.
Motorists in Jan van Riebeeck Drive in Huguenot were brought to a standstill on Friday afternoon, when torrential rains flooded a part of the road.
One motorist, Annemarie Jooste, was left stranded on the corner of Fairview Street and Jan van Riebeeck Drive, when her vehicle stalled in two feet of water.
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