Shack dwellers bear brunt of storm
WHILE the storm this week brought some much needed rain, it has been a nightmare for people living in informal settlements.
The storm has been described as the worst to hit the city in over 30 years.
In Khayelitsha, Site C, Taiwan, a local resident, Noncedo Thinga, 32, had to give birth during the severe storm on Tuesday night in a neighbour’s home as her home was flooded.
In Mitchells Plain, many residents were woken up late at night and had to get rainwater out of their homes.
Joanie Fredericks of the Mitchells Plain Crisis Forum said: “I received a call from our members at midnight. Our people are suffering from the problem.
“Six of the members were trying to help community members to seek shelter, dry clothes and food until help could come from the disaster management group or the City of Cape Town.”
Residents in Makhaza, Khayelitsha were in need of alternative housing after 200 homes were affected by the storm.
About 1 000 people were allowed to sleep at the Haven Shelter in Cape Town during the storm, with many other shelters in the Western Cape opening their doors to people who had been badly affected.
The Disaster Risk Management Centre’s Charlotte Powell said: “There have been over 825 structures damaged in the informal settlements of Hout Bay, with 2 500 people affected. We have one death of a 60-year-old gentleman. We are still busy making progress of helping more informal settlements.”
To the east of the hard-hit city, heavy winds and rain caused distress in the Villiersdorp area, near the much depleted Theewaterskloof Dam, resulting in 80 people being evacuated.
IN HOUT BAY, MORE THAN 825 STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED, AFFECTING 2 500 PEOPLE