Heavy rainfall has caused widespread flooding in Cape Town, leading to power outages in 16 areas on Thursday. Key locations such as Elsies River, Table View, and Milnerton have been particularly affected, with multiple roads inundated.
Charlotte Powell, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management (DRM), reported that many informal settlements are waterlogged, and several roads are flooded. Joint assessments are underway in Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Du Noon, and backyard dwellings in Tafelsig, Uitsig, and Heideveld.
The Roads Department is working to unblock roadways and is providing sandbags and milling to the affected communities. Meanwhile, NGO partners are assisting with humanitarian relief efforts for those impacted by the severe weather.
The South African Weather Service issued a warning on Wednesday for disruptive rain across parts of the Western Cape, including the City of Cape Town, Langeberg, Stellenbosch, Swartland, Theewaterskloof, Witzenberg, Bergrivier, Breede Valley, Drakenstein, and Cederberg.
The service forecasted another cold front bringing more rain to the southwest of the Western Cape on Thursday, July 18. Rainfall accumulations are expected to be between 20mm and 30mm, with higher amounts in mountainous regions.