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Emergency services on high alert as ‘big storms’ hit Gauteng
People have been warned to brace for the possibility of disruptive rainfall for the entire Gauteng province.
Photo: iStock
Johannesburg Emergency Services has urged motorists to exercise extreme caution during the rainy weather conditions in Gauteng.
Venturing onto the highways and roads proved particularly treacherous on Tuesday morning as persistent rain continued to envelope several parts of the Gauteng province.
Big storms
Regional weather service, Gauteng Weather, warned of “big storms” for the province.
“Danger: big storms with heavy downpours and potential overnight flooding now sweeping Gauteng. Disruptive rain warning in effect until midday Tuesday!!!.”
It also cited a warning from the South African Weather Services (SAWS).
Orange alert
“The SA Weather Service has warned about the possibility of disruptive rainfall from 15:00 Monday to midday Tuesday for the entire Gauteng province. Potential threats include road flooding and poor driving conditions.”
“An Orange Level 4 warning: Storms with localised flooding and strong damaging winds are expected to affect settlements (formal and informal) with a possibility for damage to roads and bridges, major disruption of traffic flow over Gauteng, the extreme north-eastern parts of the North West and the western areas of the western Bushveld of Limpopo.” Saws said.
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Emergency services alert
Speaking to The Citizen, spokesperson for the Johannesburg Emergency Services Robert Mulaudzi called on residents in Gauteng to exercise extreme caution during the wet weather conditions.
“We are encouraging our residents in the low-lying areas to exercise caution or avoid crossing river streams and bridges and rather use designated pedestrian crossings. We also urge parents or guardians to monitor young kids to avoid river streams, dams and drainage systems.”
Mulaudzi has also urged motorists to respect the rules of the road by maintaining a safe following distance while driving and avoiding flooded roads and bridges.
Drivers are also being urged to keep their headlights on.
Informal settlements
Mulaudzi cautioned people living in informal settlements who become extremely vulnerable during the rainy conditions.
“The most vulnerable communities will be our informal settlements like Kliptown and surrounding areas, Kya Sands, Diepsloot and Alexander,” Mulaudzi said.
High alert
Mulaudzi said the city’s emergency services would be on alert.
“From our side as the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services, together with our colleagues from disaster management, we will continue to monitor all seven regions of the city so that we can respond to any emergencies which may occur throughout the City of Johannesburg,” Mulaudzi concluded.
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