Cape Town - Persistent rains across the Western Cape over the weekend meant relief teams had to put mopping up operations on hold.
The City of Cape Town said the coming week’s minimal rain forecast would be an opportune time to tackle the aftermath of last week’s storm.
Disaster risk management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said there were still bodies of stagnant water dotted around Cape Town.
He said that while rain was forecast for Tuesday, it would be minimal and largely isolated to the coastal regions.
On Friday, the city reported that almost 16 000 people had been affected by flooding. While the city continues to supply affected residents with blankets and hot meals, the Community Chest is also joining the relief efforts.
The organisation said it had prepared 1 000 emergency packs, containing blankets and non-perishable foods, to be distributed among needy residents on the Cape Flats.
In addition to the emergency packs, the Community Chest’s relief teams will also distribute Wellington boots and raincoats.
It is the second time the non-profit organisation has been involved in relief efforts in the past two weeks. It previously distributing more than 1 000 blankets, 1 400 items of winter clothing, 300 food parcels and 520 hygiene packs to families in Klipheuwel, north of Durbanville, when the informal settlement was flooded after a river burst its banks.
At Mikpunt, north of Klipheuwel, residents said they had been trapped indoors over the weekend due to the heavy rains.
The community of about 400 said the Mosselbank River had flooded and when the city’s Disaster Risk Management officials came they had to turn back because they could not get through.
Resident Mike Gregan said the city should raise the height of the existing bridge over the river. “Why on Earth are we paying rates if we are going to be trapped indoors like this?” he said.
Gregan said a friend had lost his bakkie in the river after he had returned home late from work and had misjudged the level of the river.
“We had to get a crane truck and tractor to get that bakkie out. This is very dangerous and can happen to anyone,” said Gregan.
He said residents had spent Friday and Saturday trapped in their homes and could only come out yesterday.
Pupils were also unable to go to school because Klipheuwel Primary had been closed due to the floods.
“No one could cross that river, it was a nightmare,’ said the frustrated resident.
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