W Cape’s hell and high water

The death toll from this week’s freaky weather conditions which ravaged different parts of the Western Cape has risen to nine, the provincial disaster management centre confirmed yesterday.

Parts of the province were this week gripped by a strong cold front, which resulted in significant rainfall, gale force winds and raging infernos.

By 10.30am yesterday, fire fighters were still working their socks off trying to extinguish the more than 10 fires in the Knysna area.

At least 250 stuctures were destroyed, while between 7 000 and 8 000 people were evacuated overnight on Wednesday.

The speed at which the winds were blowing made it extremely difficult to get aerial support into the affected areas.

The three-year-old who died in Welbedacht, near Knysna, as a result of the fires was the ninth casualty reported since the start of the stormy weather conditions on Tuesday night.

While several roads had to be closed off to traffic, 34 schools were also burnt.

So far, 827 informal settlements have been affected.

In greater Cape Town, more than 2 000 people were displaced after 20 hours of heavy winds of up to 90km/h and between 20mm and 50mm of rain on the peninsula.

More than 2 000 residents of Imizamo Yethu, on the south peninsula, required alternative accommodation, as did residents of 200 homes in Makhaza, Khayelitsha. More than 80 people from an informal settlement in Villiersdorp were evacuated due to rising water levels.

In Grabouw, roofs at informal settlements were blown off.

More than 100 adults and children were evacuated from homes in Franschhoek, while emergency services were also assessing the situation in Touw’s River.

Across the city of Cape Town, 90 trees blew down, 72 roofs blew off and several shopping centres sustained damage.