The African National Congress (ANC) in the Western Cape says the storms lashing the province have caused extensive damage to St. Marks Primary School in Prince Albert in the Karoo District Municipality.
At St. Marks the roof of the library has been blown off and all contents, including computers, books and shelving destroyed.
Some toilets in the school have also been damaged, a classroom next to the library was also partially damaged.
The party says it received information that there is also a lot of water damage at the school rendering it unsafe for learners and teachers.
The winter storms that have made landfall in the Western Cape continues to leave a trail of damage across large parts of the province.
Spokesperson for the provincial Ministry of Local Government James Brent-Styan says multiple structures have been damaged with roofs blown off and trees fallen over.
He says there has also been damage to electricity infrastructure and localised flooding in some low-lying areas.
Brent-Styan says, “There has been no reports to the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre of fatalities, injuries or missing persons as a result of the latest storm. We hope this will continue to be the case. We urge the public to continue to limit movement. Stay away from beaches and promenades and other waterways as much as possible. Conditions along the coastal areas are expected to continue to be quite risky.”
Major storm causes widespread destruction in the Western Cape:
Western Cape residents warned of biggest storm ahead
Disaster Management spokesperson, James Styan urged people to limit travel where possible and exercise extreme caution.
“It’s raining in some parts on the WC and its moving through the province. The weather service says this is one of the biggest storms that we will see this year. It is a low lying areas that are the most affected – places where communities have settled on wetlands, marshlands. Emergency services are aware and would respond as quickly as possible,” said Styan.
A series of cold fronts have wreaked havoc to large parts of the region since Thursday. Disaster Management has warned of an increased risk of flooding and continued gale force winds.
Meanwhile, Gauteng residents were warned to brace themselves for another cold front expected to hit the province on Tuesday. Extremely cold temperatures are expected to reach the Eastern Cape on Monday afternoon from the Western Cape, accompanied by rainfall.
“There is a cold front that is affecting the Western Cape. So the front is going to move through and reach areas like Eastern Cape this afternoon. Behind it we are expecting the cold conditions with rain especially along the south west and south coast. And then by tomorrow this system is going to affect Gauteng but the snow will be just confined to the Western and Eastern province,” said Bransby Bulo, SA Weather Service forecaster.
Several informal settlements experience flooding, power outages:
Storm warning Alert ⚠️
The heavy downpours predicted for this cold front will increase the risk of flooding. Gale force winds are once again forecast, starting this evening until Monday.For emergencies, please call 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.#CTNews pic.twitter.com/Y6FA9hXQPO
— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) July 12, 2020
