7 April 2024
Drakenstein Municipality has been implementing comprehensive disaster management actions in response to gale force winds that have been hitting the municipal area since yesterday afternoon.
“Last night, we activated our emergency response teams from various departments to address urgent concerns, damage to infrastructure, homes and property, and help affected individuals and communities," says Councillor Stephen Korabie, Executive Mayor of Drakenstein Municipality. “The safety of our residents, our staff and infrastructure is our main focus. As a Municipality we have also been taking an eagle-eye approach and been assisting at incidents as far as our capacity allows.
“Our teams are on the ground removing fallen trees and debris, repairing power lines, and attending to wind-related damage such as collapsed roofs and traffic lights. We are aware of more than 30 houses in Drakenstein that have lost their roofs during the night and this morning. Some homes also suffered structural damage. We are making emergency accommodation available to residents in need in our community halls across Drakenstein. Our Fire Services crews are also attending to fires in Wellington and Paarl, together with firefighting teams from neighbouring municipalities," he says.
Although the strong winds are not making matters easy for the municipal teams, the Municipality's main priority is to make areas and roads safe and accessible as soon as possible.
Electricity outages
Several areas in Drakenstein are experiencing electricity outages due to strong winds that either ripped out electricity cables, or blew over electricity poles or trees onto the overhead electricity cables. The Municipality has dispatched technical staff to attend to several complaints. The Municipality is prioritising unsafe situations and deals with them first.
Fires
The strong winds have sparked multiple fires across Drakenstein. Firefighting crews from Drakenstein Municipality, the Cape Winelands District Municipality, City of Cape Town, and Swartland Municipality are actively fighting a fire on Paarl Mountain. Additionally, five active field fires are being attended to. A fire that started in Wellington last night was extinguished this morning; crews are on standby should any flare-ups occur. A fire in Keerweder Road, Paarl, that destroyed seven formal and informal structures, as well as a fire in Klein Parys, Paarl, have been extinguished.
Roads and mountain passes
The Huguenot Tunnel on the N1 has been closed in both directions due to strong winds. The Du Toitskloof Pass is open; however, trucks are parked on the side of the road. All other local roads are open. While all traffic officials have been deployed, the Municipality urges motorists to drive with caution.
Sports fields
Several of the Municipality's sports facilities such as the Parys Sports Field, Mbekweni Sports Field, Pelikaan Sports Field, Saron Sports Field, and the Dal Josaphat Cricket Clubhouse suffered damage either to their roofs or fences. The fence of our Mbekweni Swimming Pool also collapsed.
Homeless persons
The Municipality's Law Enforcement officials worked during the night to move the homeless from under bridges and other low-lying areas to ensure their safety.
Level 9 weather warning
Considering the predicted level 9 disruptive rain warning issued by the South African Weather Service for Monday, 8 April 2024, the Municipality is urging communities to play their part, and to clear the gutters and downpipes of their homes from leaves and debris - to assist the flow of stormwater and to prevent obstructions and flooding. The Municipality's teams have been clearing stormwater drains since last week. It is imperative to check that drains are open to avoid objects from blocking the flow of water from properties.
Lending a helping hand
The Municipality received some offers from residents to assist its teams in clearing fallen tree branches from the roads. Where and when it is safe, residents can assist the Municipality by removing branches from the roads in their areas. Branches can be moved to nearby open spaces, such as parks, or left on the side of the road where the municipal teams will collect it later.
People or organisations who would like to drop off donations for those affected by the severe weather are encouraged to do so at the Paarl Fire Station, Berg River Boulevard, Paarl. Products that would specifically be appreciated, are blankets, foam mattresses, toiletries, non-perishable food items, and warm clothes.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to our municipal workers who are literally working around the clock and braving adverse weather conditions to keep our communities safe. A big shout out to them all. To our residents, I urge you to be safe, prepared and patient while we do our very best to restore services across the area," concludes Executive Mayor Korabie.
Residents can contact the Municipality in the following ways:
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Issued by: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality
