A strong storm has lashed Cape Town overnight as the city receives reports of trees being uprooted, flooding in some areas and even one school’s structures being blown over by strong winds.
The City’s traffic services spokesperson Richard Coleman said there were reports of 19 roads affected by uprooted trees as of Monday morning where trees were blown over onto roads.
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In Frans Conradie Drive in Bellville, near the Boston area, four trees were seen laying in the road within an area of 200m.
And in Strand, at Nomzamo High School, temporary classroom structures were completely destroyed by the strong winds.
School structures at Nomzamo High School in Strand were severely damaged during a heavy Cape storm.
School structures at Nomzamo High School in Strand were severely damaged during a heavy Cape storm.
School structures at Nomzamo High School in Strand were severely damaged during a heavy Cape storm.
School structures at Nomzamo High School in Strand were severely damaged during a heavy Cape storm.
At the school, prefabricated buildings were lifted by the squalls and turned upside-down, including an ablution facility.
The Western Cape Education Department’s [WCED] director of communications Bronagh Hammond told News24: “Learners and teachers have been sent home for safety reasons. There is a lot of debris lying around, which needs to be removed or cordoned off.
“The WCED are sending officials to determine [the] extent of damages and the number of classrooms affected. Only then will we be able to determine which areas are safe for use. We await this report.”
Roads
Some of the other roads affected by uprooted trees include Meerlust and Jacaranda in Somerset West, Tyger Valley Road, Arlington and Harewood in Helderberg and Fairfield Street in Parow.
“Mopping up operations are continuing this morning – Disaster Risk Management officials are busy with assessments together with other City departments”, Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said in a statement.
Powell said the Recreation and Parks Department would be attending to the affected roads.
Four trees were uprooted within 200m on Frans Conradie Drive in Bellville.
Four trees were uprooted within 200m on Frans Conradie Drive in Bellville.
Four trees were uprooted within an area of 200m on Frans Conradie Drive in Bellville.
Four trees were uprooted within 200m on Frans Conradie Drive in Bellville.
Four trees were uprooted within 200m on Frans Conradie Drive in Bellville.
“Roofs were also blown off in Manenberg, Heideveld and Lavender Hill while numerous trees were uprooted, most notably in Tokai where a house was partially damage, and in Waterloo Village in Gardens, uprooted trees damaged vehicles”, she added.
However, no evacuation to emergency sheltering was required.
Coleman added that Belmont and Queens roads in Rondebosch experienced flooding.
“The Informal Settlements Department will provide residents with flood kits and Transport is providing sand and milling, while Sassa has been requested to provide humanitarian assistance”, said Powell.
