Stormwater floods Sydenham homes
Councillor Jethro Lefevre has intervened to find a solution to the issue of flooding at homes in Sydenham.
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FRIDAY night’s thunderstorm wreaked havoc across the city with homes in the Sydenham area being particularly hard it.
One family was devastated when water flooded their home damaging household goods and furniture. Another family found themselves waist deep in water and watched as their fridge floated in the house. They had to be temporary accommodated at the Sydenham Community Hall.
According to the residents, who asked not to be named, locals believe the flooding was caused by inefficient storm water drainage. Residents say the system was upgraded almost two years ago, but was still not working efficiently.
“This is the second flood where our household goods were damaged and we received no help or compensation whatsoever from council. We don’t have any household insurance like the fortunate,” said the resident.
Ward councillor, Jethro Lefevre, said following the urgent plea from residents, he had completed a site visit with officials from the storm water department on Monday to assess and solve the issues around the flooding that occurred on Friday.
“It’s so devastating to see families whose entire lives have been washed away. The good news is that the department will support the insurance claims and I will do my best to put pressure on the insurance department to expedite the payment process,” he said.