An elderly man became the first fatality along the flooded Garden Route on Tuesday morning, when his vehicle was swept away on a low-lying bridge in Mossel Bay.
The man, believed to have been in his 70s, was pronounced dead on the scene.
Police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie said the man’s bakkie was swept away when he tried to cross the bridge on the Geelbekvlei gravel road near Brandwag.
The incident happened at around 9am.
Pojie said police had been busy with patrols when they spotted the vehicle, a Colt double cab bakkie, in the river.
“They had to smash the window to pull the driver out, but he was already dead.
“An inquest docket has been opened,” he said.
And as hundreds of residents spent Tuesday mopping up after Monday’s flood, a sense of community shone through the devastation as residents, nonprofit organisations and businesses banded together to help those affected.
Department of water and sanitation spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said more than 100mm of rain had fallen in George and surrounding areas since 2am on Monday.
But with more rain expected, Garden Route District disaster management is considering requesting the provincial and national government to declare the region a disaster area.
District disaster boss Gerhard Otto said an assessment of infrastructure in and around George was being carried out
He said there was a still water in low-lying areas.
“[But] By Friday, we’ll know exactly the full extent of the damage and then we’ll approach the provincial government and, if necessary the national government, for a disaster declaration if required.
“[At present], in my view, it doesn’t look as bad as we said it would be,” Otto said.
“Our area is open for business, we will have to assess this after the weekend.”
Meanwhile, Gift of the Givers has been on the ground offering support to communities hard hit by the rain.
The foundation’s Ali Sablay said they were able to support up to 20,000 people if need be.
“We have hit the ground running.
“So we are providing blankets, hot nutritious meals, mattresses, warm clothes for the children.
“For informal settlements, we are doing assessments on providing plastic sheeting for their structures that are leaking,” he said.
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Sablay and his team also visited the Hope Church where 16 people from the Wilderness informal settlement were housed after their houses flooded.
At least 150 grocery hampers and care packages were distributed to the Thembalethu Community in collaboration with Shoprite, which also administered a soup kitchen.
One of the beneficiaries, Kholiwe Kamana, 31, of Gushindoda informal settlement said she was forced to send her one-year-old toddler to relatives in Zone 9 for fear of more rainfall.
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“When it started raining, we said it would rain and it would pass,” she said.
Cingiwe Booysen, 36, was trying to restore her damp furniture near a muddy stream in the area.
“When it rained, water came down from the slope as well as the dam across the road.
“It is impossible to clean and I am airing out my entire closet in hopes that it will dry,” she said.
HeraldLIVE
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