There could be flooding in the province, endangering thousands of people’s livelihoods, said Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, alerting residents to remain alert.
On Monday, Winde confirmed that strong winds blew roofs off homes, shacks, schools, and cars on the roads on Sunday.
Winde declared that schools in the Overberg and Winelands will remain closed even though the disaster management teams are on guard, with some of them keeping an eye on specific places and highways.
The storm reportedly started on Saturday and might end on Tuesday.
“I had a meeting with the disaster management in Tygerberg this morning, and it was fruitful. So far, so good,” Winde said.
“We have flooding happening in some of the parts of Overberg now; nothing major at the moment.”
He went on to say that people needed to make sure they were safe while the rain kept coming down.
“Don’t take any chances in any of the low-lying areas. We still have a few closed roads as the storm across the whole province is still at level-nine warning, which means that specifically in the wineland areas, there is a risk of flooding.
“We have mobilised all our resources to be on standby to respond where needed and we appeal to you to not take unnecessary risks and listen to the instructions of law enforcement and traffic authorities.
“Our frontline services and disaster management teams are out and responding.”
Residents must stay indoors
Reiterating Winde’s words, the chief of disaster management in the province, Colin Diener, said going out on Monday would not be worth it.
“I think the worst is unfortunately yet to come, and going out today wouldn’t be worth it,” warned Diener.
Meanwhile, a truck driver has escaped unharmed after heavy winds blew the trailer of his truck off a bridge on the N1 as it approached the Huguenot Tunnel outside Paarl.
A video of the incident posted on social media showed one truck blown off its wheels and lying on the road on its side.
The video shows another truck approaching the tunnel, and the truck’s trailer can be seen swaying due to heavy winds, ultimately causing the trailer to tip over the bridge.
The driver of the truck escaped unscathed.
Wind speeds greater than 90 km/h
Michael Vinello-Lippert, a project manager at SA National Road Agency Limited, said that wind gusts with speeds in excess of 90 km/h started on Saturday and had led to the incident on the bridge near the tunnel.
The trailer incident occurred on Saturday, resulting in the closure of Chapman’s Peak Drive and the Huguenot Tunnel.
No fatalities have been recorded since the beginning of the storm.
In September 2023, at least 11 people were killed after heavy rains and winds hit Cape Town.
