200mm deluge floods Postmasburg
2011-01-23 22:43
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Jana Engelbrecht and Edward Smit, Volksblad
Postmasburg - A young woman died and nine people were rescued from trees and rooftops here after at least 200mm of rainfall since Friday night. According to residents it's the worst rainstorm the town has had since 1988.
Melandi Botha, 19, from the Gatkoppies smallholding outside the town, drowned after her car was swept away by the deluge coming from the vlei.
The flooding started on Saturday and the vlei was soon overflowing.
Diemiso Leburu, spokesperson for the Tsantsabane municipality, said emergency service staff from ER24, the police, the fire brigade and the defence force were involved in removing her body from the vlei on Saturday morning.
Riaan Jacobs, 33, a local resident, said the Bothas' smallholding was completely flooded on Saturday.
Botha had apparently driven over a small bridge across the vlei. The bridge presumably collapsed and her car was swept away.
Her body was found about 1km further next to the vlei.
Nine people saved by helicopter
According to Jacobs her parents are in shock and are temporarily staying in town.
"They can't reach their house at all."
Derrick Banks, spokesperson for ER24, said another nine people were saved by emergency services in Postmasburg on Saturday.
"Many people had to evacuate their homes because of rising water levels.
"A 37-year-old man spent two hours sitting in a tree before he was rescued by a police helicopter.
"The other eight people were also saved from trees and rooftops by police and defence force helicopters.
Banks said that, while water levels were dropping, emergency services were still on high alert.
Several temporary homes, erected along the bank of the vlei by mining contractors, were swept away, and homes adjacent to the vlei area are flooded.
A smallholding adjacent to the vlei area was also under water within minutes.
The flooding was so severe that the bridge to Kimberley had to close for a few hours. The route across the bridge was the town's only entrance and exit during the flood.
CBD
All access routes to the town's CBD were washed away and people were unable to get into town. Those who were in town couldn't return home.
Shane da Souza, shop manager of the Saverite group, had to close his doors due to panic among his customers.
Jimmy van der Linde, owner of Van der Linde Toyota, said his business was also under water.
"We closed for the weekend."
He said it was the worst flood he'd ever seen at the vlei.
"It was at its worst on Saturday at about 15:00. All the buildings built on the flood line were flooded. The water seeped in under the doors of my business. I used sand bags to try and stop the water."
The previous flood was in 1988.
The walls of a popular restaurant caved in, but it was unclear whether anyone was injured.
Weather office flooded
Sections of road were missing about 20km outside town on the road to Kimberley. Motorists were forced to turn around and use the Kuruman route.
The weather office in Bloemfontein says there was 57mm rain at Kimberley, 46mm at Kuruman and 54mm at Vryburg.
The weather office at Postmasburg could not be reached.
Apparently the office is also flooded and unable to communicate with the outside world.