Eastern Cape residents have been warned of more heavy rains, strong winds and rough seas. Photo: iStock
The Western and Eastern Cape were battered by heavy rains, gale-force winds and monster waves over the Heritage Day long weekend.
Superstorm conditions wreaked havoc as the roofs of buildings were ripped off, trees uprooted and heavy downpours flooded roads and homes.
While frantic mop-up operations were underway in Nelson Mandela Bay on Tuesday morning during a brief respite from rain, the South African Weather Service (Saws) warned of more stormy weather heading towards parts of the Eastern Cape.
The service issued an orange Level 9 warning for disruptive rain over the south-western parts of the Eastern Cape, as well as an orange Level 6 warning for disruptive rain over the Nelson Mandela Bay, Kouga, Sundays River Valley, Makana, Ndlambe and Ngqushwa municipalities.
Port Alfred, Cradock and Graaff-Reinet fall under the areas which received an orange Level 9 flood warning from the weather service.
A Level 9 warning indicates severe impact is expected and falls just one point short of the worst possible weather South Africa could experience.
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An Orange Level 6 warning has been put in place for damaging winds and huge waves leading to the disruption of ports and small harbours for the entire Eastern Cape coast, as well as the coastal area between Plettenberg Bay and Durban.
A yellow Level 4 warning for disruptive rain is in place for the Dr Beyers Naude (Willowmore and Joubertina area), Blue Crane, Inxuba Yethemba, Enoch Mgijima, Raymond Mhlaba and Amahlathi municipalities, as well as the Buffalo City metro.
The weather service warned of damage to property, buildings, livelihoods and livestock due to the possibility of widespread flooding of roads and settlements.
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The heavy downpour over the long weekend helped to raise the dam levels in the drought-stricken areas of the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.
The weather service said it measured more than 100mm of rain in Nelson Mandela Bay’s catchment area as of 8am on Tuesday.
The weather office’s Nelson Mandela Bay spokesperson, Garth Sampson, told Algoa FM 117mm was measured at Joubertina, 87mm at Kareedouw, 73mm at the Kouga Dam, and 64mm in Patensie.
He said in Nelson Mandela Bay itself, 148mm was recorded at St Albans, 103mm at Third Avenue in Newton Park, and 72mm at the Dawid Stuurman International Airport.
Elsewhere along the coast, Port Alfred received 84mm, George 76mm, Cape St Francis 73mm, Plettenberg Bay 69mm, and East London 41mm.
Inland, 87 mm was measured in Makanda, 63mm at Addo, 45mm in Graaff Reinet, and 46mm in Mthatha.
“Good rainfall of between 80mm and 150mm had been received from the main catchment area in the Langkloof for the weekend. This will go a long way to relieving our drought and water situation,” Sampson said.
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