Damaged homes, smashed coastal walkways, battered beaches and infrastructure are being repaired for the holiday season along the Garden Route coastline which was pummelled by the destructive weekend storm surge.
“The Garden Route district municipality coastal region was hammered. This includes Witsand to Plettenberg Bay,” said Garden Route disaster management head Gerhard Otto.
Some of the worst hit areas included Vleesbaai, Glentana, Herolds Bay and Wilderness. Waves of up to 7m affected several beaches on the coastline.
The huge waves claimed the life of 93-year-old Jo Hartman who was swept off her feet after taking photographs with her daughter in a parking lot at Leentjiesklip in Wilderness on Saturday.
Otto said some of the affected areas would require in-depth engineering assessments that could take time before the extent of the damage could be quantified. Beaches in George were closed for mopping up operations.
In Mossel Bay, the Point Hotel was one of the first areas to be closed due to public safety concerns at the weekend.
“In municipal infrastructure, walkways have been damaged and access points of beaches were damaged. Sand, rocks and debris have also been washed onto walkways and road surfaces [near] the ocean,” the municipality said.
Mossel Bay mayor Dirk Kotzé confirmed a structural engineer had been appointed to draft a report on the damage in the town. “The report is expected towards the end of the week whereafter an estimated cost will be determined.
“With the holiday season upon us, the municipality will do its utmost to have timely repairs in place within the statutory framework as tourism is one of the town’s major income sources. Attention will first be given to critical infrastructure,” said the mayor.
Carriage Rock, a famous Eastern Cape coast landmark, also succumbed to the huge storm surge when it split in two, with its top structure toppling over onto the beach. For years it featured prominently on postcards and in photo albums from Kenton-on-Sea, a popular summer holiday destination between East London and Gqeberha.
It had not changed shape in living memory until early Sunday morning.
“It’s like losing an old friend,” said Jo Wilmot, Kenton-on-Sea tourism consultant for the Sunshine Coast Tourism Office.
“I have no idea how old it was. It was one of the things that would always be there,” Wilmot said. “Before and after” pictures of Carriage Rock have flown around social media all week, Wilmot added, with many people sharing memories of the popular site between the Bushman’s River and Kariega River mouths.
Other commentators said human sentimentality was no match for Mother Nature. Said Ann Jangle: “Mother nature is always changing. We need to flow with change. It's inevitable.”
Wilmot said the beach’s resident Oystercatcher population would need to find a new perch as Carriage Rock was a popular nesting ground.
“In comparison with the other damage, it might feel a bit silly — but Carriage Rock was iconic. I cried all day,” Wilmot said.
South African National Parks said on Tuesday the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park had been reopened but the restaurant, which was partially destroyed, would remain closed.
“Park management is working on strategies for reconstructing a temporary dining facility.”
TimesLIVE
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