Cape Town storms affect more than 10,700 informal structures

More than 41,600 people and 10,703 structures have been affected by severe weather conditions battering Cape Town and other parts of the Western Cape.

City of Cape Town disaster risk management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said flooding had been reported in at least 26 informal settlement areas across the metro as persistent heavy rain, strong winds and icy temperatures continue to wreak havoc.

The harsh weather conditions have caused widespread disruptions and extensive damage across the province, with fallen trees, electricity outages and localised flooding reported in the Overberg, Cape Winelands, Garden Route, West Coast and City of Cape Town metro.

Several roads have been flooded across the metropole, affecting traffic and emergency response operations.

The city is working closely with humanitarian relief partners who have begun distributing meals, blankets and emergency assistance to affected communities, said Powell.

“The findings of the assessments are being submitted to the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) as the agency mandated to provide humanitarian assistance and the national human settlements department,” she said.

The city has activated several donation drop-off points for residents wishing to assist affected communities. These include:

• Bellville (Belrail Road);
• Goodwood (corner Hugo Street and Frans Conradie Drive);
• Lakeside (corner Main and Approach roads);
• Milnerton (Koeberg Road);
• Ottery (corner New Ottery and Strandfontein roads);
• Roland Street in the CBD; and
• Strand (corner Broadway Boulevard and George Street).

Teams are continuing efforts to restore electricity outages in affected areas and clearing trees that have been uprooted or lost branches due to the strong winds.

At 7am the city said its electrical teams were attending to more than 600 storm-related service requests.

“Energy teams have worked through the night with priority given to downed and live wires and other damaged infrastructure causing a risk to members of the public,” it said.

The weather conditions are set to start easing later today.

TimesLIVE