Kimberley - A violent cloudburst, with over 100mm of rain falling in less than an hour, resulted in mayhem and chaos throughout Kimberley on Tuesday, flooding homes, streets and businesses.
Even the city’s malls were flooded, leaving shoppers ankle-deep in water and forcing businesses to take preventative measures to limit damage.
By 4.30pm on Tuesday afternoon, shortly before the storm struck, heavy clouds turned day into night.
The sudden downpour resulted in power outages in several suburbs, while cars were left stranded, forcing some motorists to escape hail damage by seeking shelter in parking lots.
Roads were turned into rivers with the water reaching door-height in some areas, impacting severely on peak-hour traffic as drivers pulled over to allow the water to subside. Dozens of motorists were stranded as cars stalled as a result of the rising water.
In dramatic rescue, two city traffic officials braved the rapidly rising water in the Hull Street subway to rescue a motorist who was stuck in her car and could not swim.
The traffic officials, Harry Topkin and James Pearce, dived into the subway to rescue the woman, believed to be a local magistrate.
Topkin said on Tuesday that they had gone to check on the subway as part of their routine during heavy storms.
“When we arrived, the water was already lapping the windows of the Dodge. The driver was frantically waving her arm out of the window and was screaming that she couldn’t swim.”
He said both he and Pearce dived into the water and pulled the woman out through the window.
“The water was rising so rapidly that it was already over her chest by this stage.”
Once they had lifted the woman out of the water to safety, they returned to the water to assist the towing company to load the vehicle onto a roll-back so that it could be removed from the subway.
The city’s two subways, the one in Hull Street and the other in Beaconsfield, are regularly flooded during heavy rainstorms and the traffic department often have to assist vehicles that are stuck in the water.
This was the first time, however, that Topkin, who has been with the traffic department for more than eight years, has had to rescue a driver from a vehicle in the subway.
The woman left the scene shortly after her rescue.
“I think someone picked her up and took her for medical attention,” Topkin said.
Shoppers at the Diamond Pavilion Mall were trapped when the entrances and exits were closed in an attempt to restrict the flow of rain water into the building.
One shopper said that even though she was on the lower level of the mall, the water was streaming through the ceiling. “It was literally raining on our heads. At Dorego’s it looked like there was a waterfall pouring down the wall. We were standing ankle-deep in water and it was pitch-black.”
She added that she did not believe that the mall management were prepared for an incident like this. “It was very scary. They blocked the entrance with metal bars and people were prevented from leaving. Most of the businesses were also flooded while staff desperately tried to salvage stock.”
At the North Cape Mall, the underground parking area was also flooded.
Traffic officials had their hands full, trying to assist motorists to navigate roads that were hidden under the murky water, while many streets were gridlocked and traffic backed up.
In Matanzima Street, the heavy downpour washed away the road, resulting in a vehicle falling into a ditch, while in Regiment Way an elderly woman had to be rescued by family members when the water flooded her car.
“She was sitting in the car and the water was just about going into her windows. We had to push the car into Park Road and then tow it home for her.”
Reports of flooding and shanties being washed away were received from residents across town, including Santa Centre, Greenpoint, Floors, Galeshewe and the CBD.
In Hadison Park one resident measured more than 100mm. “After emptying it earlier in the day my rain gauge actually overflowed, which means that more than 100mm fell in about an hour.”
Other recorded rainfall figures reported included 95mm in Rhodesdene, Verwoerd Park, Kestelhof and De Beers, 90mm in Herlear, 86mm in Hadison Park, 70mm in Ernestville, Royldene and El Toro Park and 60mm in Hillcrest.
Residents living in shanties in Floors were instructed to evacuate their homes after a nearby stormwater canal threatened to burst its banks and flood their homes, while reports also came in at around 7pm of damage being sustained at Kagisho Dam, which was threatening to burst its banks.
Around 20 houses are directly downstream from the dam and concern was expressed for the safety of the affected residents, who were reluctant to leave their belongings and move to safety.
According to municipal spokesman, Sello Matsie, disaster management was on full alert.
“We are stretched to capacity at the moment.”
Many residents were left stranded with nowhere to sleep last night. A Retswelele resident said her house in Nodoba Street was flooded and her family of seven, including a four-month-old baby, had nowhere to go.
“I don’t know what we are going to do,” she said frantically.
A guesthouse in Queensway was also flooded, leaving guests stranded.
Around the city, reports were also received of trees being uprooted and blocking roads, while in Santa Centre a tree fell on a shanty. No-one was injured in the incident.
A lamppost also reportedly fell on a house in Florianville.
Social media sites were inundated with reports of lost dogs that had apparently bolted as a result of the heavy thunder.
The aftermath of the storm saw people gathering in Colville and blocking roads in protest after their houses were flooded. Residents said that every time it rained, their houses were flooded, despite repeated pleas to the municipality.
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