By Loushe Jordaan Gilbert
The Premier of the Western Cape Alan Winde declared the Western Cape a disaster area on Monday as several areas were affected by flooding and disruptive winds that caused havoc in the province, leaving thousands of people destitute.
With more than 150 000 people affected by the recent flooding in several areas such as Khayelitsha, Ocean View, Nyanga, Phillippi and other informal settlements, several aid organisations are working tirelessly to ensure that humanitarian aid is provided to those in dire need.
Gift of the Givers said on Tuesday that they will continue to assist affected areas, until further notice.
“Our operations will continue in the Western Cape as well as the other provinces that have been affected by the adverse weather conditions. We will use whatever methods we can to ensure that we provide meals and dire necessities to several areas. We will continue post these weather conditions to provide food, baby essentials, hygiene products blankets and clothing to those who are in need or at least until they have been successfully placed in shelters,” he said.
Co-operative Governance minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said the government of national unity will prioritise residents in low-lying areas.
“Dealing with disasters is expensive, the best thing to do is to be proactive so that we can avert major disasters that can happen, including persuading our people to move away from low -lying areas,” he stressed.
While the city braves the storm, many residents are left without electricity as several communities are experiencing electricity outages due to the severe weather conditions.
Mayoral Committee Member for Energy Xanthea Limberg said since last week electricity teams have had thousands of complaints to attend to.
“Our teams are responding to several power related calls, and we are working day and night to restore power to the affected areas. The turnaround time is unfortunately longer than usual because of the storms. Certain areas have been without electricity since last week Wednesday and we are honestly working as fast as we can to restore everyone’s power,” she said.
The total cost of the damage sustained in the province and the City of Cape Town due to the inclement weather experienced for almost two weeks is yet to be determined.
