Cold Fronts Batter Cape Town

• News
• Sunday, July 13, 2008

Distress in the Western Cape is on the increase due to the fierce cold fronts battering the Western Cape.

It has been confirmed by the Disaster Management Officials that over 16 000 are living in "flooded and unhealthy conditions". The newest fears are that people will be exposed to water born diseases such as Diarrhoea etc.

Residents up the West Coast in an area called Clanwilliam have started evacuating their homes after a nearby river (Olifants River) started breaking its banks.

The important Huguenot Tunnel linking Worcester and Cape Town has been close due to rock falls that occurred on the Worcester side of the tunnel making it unsafe for motorist. Several other roads throughout the Western Cape have been damaged leading to their closure.

But poor people all over the Western Cape are being affected the worst and most severely by the the heavy rains and it is at this time we can clearly see the social divides & inequalities in our communities. The weather office is forecasting more rain, hail, wind and even snow in the high lying areas.

Even though the City of Cape Town's crew's are doing a great job working around the clock to clear drains and pump storm water, it will only clear up once the rain stops. Only once the rain has stopped will city & government officials be able assess this years damage and hopefully it will motivate them to improve the current housing situation that millions of people call home.

We take our hats off to the thousands of relief workers both civil and voluntary trying to make a difference to those who are affected most by this disaster.