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Floods: People trapped on roofs
22/11/2007 17:07 - (SA)
Verashni Pillay
Cape Town - Overberg Municipality was involved in yet another rescue operation after heavy rains in the area, municipality sources told News24 on Thursday afternoon.
Emergency medical service workers as well as fire and rescue workers were out again in an Air Force helicopter after a gruelling day of work.
On Thursday morning, six people were airlifted after their homes were flooded in the Genadendal area.
"Some of these people were already on the roof of their houses and other high-lying areas," said Overberg disaster manager, Reinard Geldenhuys.
The operation had taken up most of the day, after which the team came back, refuelled, and set out on the next operation.
More than 100 people were temporarily housed in a hall on Thursday morning after flooding at the informal settlement of Zwelihle, near Hermanus.
In Overberg itself, the main roads were all open again, except for the road between Bredasdorp and Stormsvlei.
The municipality said that many gravel roads, mostly connecting farms, were still closed.
Meanwhile, Cape Town itself was largely fine after being battered by rains and wind, according to Cape Town disaster management spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes.
"There is no significant impact on the city's infrastructure at the moment," he said.
The SA Weather Service warned that heavy falls of rain would persist in the southern Karoo, Eden District and eastern parts of the Overberg District, as well as the south coast of the Eastern Cape.
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