Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has placed all its disaster management teams on high alert ahead of heavy rain predicted for Monday evening and Tuesday.
“Yesterday the weather office informed us of a frontal system moving in and that heavy rains are expected to follow. We have sent our teams out to the various vulnerable areas to do routine inspections and to identify which areas are most likely to need assistance in the coming days,” said disaster management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes.
He added that city engineers would be doing a round of inspections on Monday, ensuring that stormwater and drainage systems are unobstructed and flowing freely.
The city has also issued a warning of westerly and north-westerly gales on the south coast on Tuesday. Weather SA has predicted 40km/h winds for both Monday and Tuesday.
Maximum temperatures will hover round the mid-teens, while the chances of rain are 99 percent and 76 percent respectively for today and tomorrow.
Asked which areas were being monitored, Solomons-Johannes said most of the Cape Flats was vulnerable to rising water plains during heavy rain. Informal settlements are generally worst affected, with the Cape Argus regularly reporting on the homes of people in Philippi, Nyanga and Khayelitsha being flooded during winter rain.
A cold front late last week brought snow to the high-lying areas of the province. Ceres tourism office confirmed on Monday morning that the Matroosberg mountains were still covered in snow.
Cape Argus