Braving the storm
Dozens hurt as storm damages homes and uproots trees
WALK ON WET SIDE: A combination of gusty winds and crashing waves brings chaos to the Sea Point promenade yesterday.
AT LEAST five people were killed and several were injured in the severe storm that lashed Cape Town this week. 69-year-old man from Seawinds died yesterday morning when the bricks of an incomplete house next door, fell on to the wendy house in which he was sitting. Joseph Connins died instantly, when the roof of his Wendy house caved in.
His nephew Jodie Africa, who was with him at the time of the accident, explained that they were sitting in the living room about 11pm when the bricks of the incomplete house blew on to the wendy house.
“It happened all of a sudden and the roof collapsed on to us. I managed to get out under the rubble but my uncle could not. He died on the scene. My face was also injured because the roof fell on to my face.”
In another incident two people from Lavender Hill were injured when the roof of their house blew off on Tuesday at 11.30pm. Garcia Mostert was sleeping in her bedroom with her 4-year-old son Jodine when the gale-force wind ripped through their room.
“It started around 11pm when the wind was blowing fiercely and we thought that it was going to blow our windows out. Then the ceiling boards and roof came crashing down on top of us. I used my arm to prevent the roof from falling on to us. But it hit my son on the head. My husband came running into the room and took us out of the flat.
“The entire house’s roof caved in accept the part in the kitchen. My son had to be rushed to hospital.
“We now have nowhere to go and we only saved some of our clothing. All our other stuff was damaged by the rain,” she said.
The councillor for the area, Marieta Petersen, said they would assist the family with temporary accommodation until the roof is fixed.
Elaine Casper, 26, from Kalkfontein, also said that the strong wind lifted her wendy house, which moved away from the wall it was attached to.
“The front part of the Wendy house almost fell on to us, where we were laying in bed. When that happened we rushed into my aunt’s house next door,” she said.
A tree which was uprooted in Ottery damaged a resident’s entire fence as well as three of his vehicles. Andre Weber from Ottery said that the council had to cut one of his vehicles loose under the enormous tree.
“We have been staying here for the past 20 years and this never happened before,” he said.
MY SON HAD TO BE RUSHED TO HOSPITAL. WE NOW HAVE NOWHERE TO GO AND WE ONLY SAVED SOME OF OUR CLOTHING.