Cape Peninsula hit by heavy rains
2012-07-14 07:30
Johannesburg - Heavy rainfall in the Cape Peninsula displaced 560 people on Friday, the City of Cape Town's Disaster Risk Management Centre said.
Spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said Sir Lowry's Pass village, Red Hill informal settlement and Masiphumelele, in Fish Hoek, were the worst affected areas.
Four hundred people were displaced at River Park, Rasta Camp and Uitkyk informal settlements in Sir Lowry's Pass village. They were accommodated at the Sir Lowry's Pass community hall.
At Red Hill, the city's disaster response teams supplied 80 people with hot food and blankets.
In Masiphumelele, 30 structures were "waterlogged" and blankets and food were supplied to residents.
Solomons-Johannes said that the SA Weather Service (Saws) told disaster management authorities that conditions were likely to become "extreme" in parts of the western, northern and eastern Cape, the southern Free State and KwaZulu-Natal from Friday.
A possibility of flash floods was predicted for the eastern Cape on Friday evening.
"According to the forecast, very cold conditions, heavy rainfall, snow that will be heavy in places and strong winds will prevail and set in over parts of the Western and Northern Cape provinces [on Friday] evening."
On Thursday night, snow fell over the mountains in south-western parts of the Western Cape.
"The Saws indicates that snowfall will be widespread and can be expected in areas where it has not snowed in a long time or has not snowed at all," he said.
Residents of the north-eastern parts of the Western Cape, southern parts of the Northern Cape, northern parts of the Eastern Cape and Lesotho were warned to expect heavy snowfalls on Saturday.
A south-easterly swell was predicted along the Cape south coast, with seas reaching about six metres.
From Sunday morning the cold weather was expected to move on to the south-western high grounds of KwaZulu-Natal, which could lead to the closure of mountain passes. From Sunday, Gauteng residents could expect cold and windy conditions.
- SAPA
