Durban is going Dutch to cope with potential flooding

THE eThekwini Municipality is testing a flood warning system, based on one developed in the Netherlands.

This is in preparation for the potential La Nina weather phenomenon, which brings floods and will replace El Nino which brought drought.

“The new system will enable the city to give prior notification to all areas likely to be flooded and dispatch the disaster management teams immediately before the heavy rains begin,” said eThekwini Municipality spokeswoman Tozi Mthethwa.

Technically speaking, it is based on Delft-FEWS, an open data handling platform. The system, which is based on open-source software, provides a state-of-the-art hydrological forecast and warning system.

Deputy Head for Coastal Stormwater and Catchment Management, Randeer Kasserchun said the city hoped to run its first pilot by the end of February and then go completely live by the end of 2017.

However, implementation is subject to the procurement of certain measuring equipment through the city’s supply chain management processes.

Kasserchun said the municipality was currently making use of numerous live feeds of internal data and developed hydrological models of rivers within the metro.

These live feeds include rain gauges, weather stations, water level instrumentation of rivers and wave rider buoys.

ER24 has meanwhile advised people on how to deal with flash floods, which it describes as a rapid flooding of a low-lying area.

“Flash floods are distinguished from regular floods by a time scale of less than six hours,” said spokesman Russel Meiring.

The emergency rescue company offered the following tips:

Keep emergency numbers and important information handy.

Keep emergency supplies such as water, canned food, a can opener, battery-operated radio, flashlight, first aid kit and protective clothing ready.

Turn off all your household electrical devices.

Lock all doors and windows.

Avoid walking through floodwaters – even 15 centimetres deep can sweep you off your feet.

“If floodwaters rise around your car but the water is not moving, abandon the car and move to higher ground.

“Never drive through a flooded road as the road may be washed away.

“If you are stuck inside your vehicle, roll down the windows and open the doors to allow water into your vehicle. Doing this will equal the pressure on both sides of the door, allowing you to escape from your vehicle.”