Cape Town braces for trench warfare as stormclouds loom

Muhammad Amin

South Africans must brace for even more freezing weather and flooding around Cape Town as a brace of cold fronts sweep in from Antarctica.

Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management says it’s on standby to deal with any disruptions.

It advised residents to clear drainage systems and clean gutters, remove dead tree branches and other potential obstructions or even dig trenches around their homes to divert floodwater.

The Western Cape has already been declared a disaster area after recent floods caused over R1billion in damages, but it is still waiting for emergency funds to be released.

The SA Weather Service issued a Level 5 flood warning – a medium likelihood of widespread flooding of roads and settlements, likely to cause damage to mud-based houses, and displacement of communities.

News24 reports Chief director of disaster management Colin Deiner said a planning meeting was held with officials from various teams.

“We are on high alert, particularly with the previous flooding we have had. We will be focusing on areas already affected by the previous storm,” he said.

The soil is already saturated from previous storm, so any additional rain is likely to cause almost immediate flooding.

The city council called on residents to take heed of the advisory warnings and to start implementing “any possible mitigation measures around their properties”.

Eskom said it technicians were also bracing for yet another “weekend of storms” as the electricity network was vulnerable to disruptions.

“This could potentially affect restoration efforts and exacerbate the current backlog of faults that Eskom has prioritised to reduce in some of its electricity supply areas,” it added.