When a Sunridge Park resident took photographs of a minor leak on Tuesday evening she could not have anticipated that by the next morning a section of her home would be flooded.
Sanette Ryan is already counting the costs of the severe storm that hit the province on Tuesday night.
Ryan’s is just one of several storm-related incidents which occurred across the city’s western suburbs during the night.
She said she was walking through her Stella Londt Drive home at about 1.30am on Wednesday when she found that the storm had damaged her roof, resulting in rain streaming into her dining room and patio area.
“It was at about 9 last [Tuesday] night when I went to feed my dogs,” she said.
“I noticed a leak in the patio area and took photos to send to my husband, who is away on work, to see what he could organise to get someone in to fix it this [Wednesday] morning.
“But by 1.30am I walked through the house and then I saw that water was streaming into the dining room and patio area.”
By 9am on Wednesday when contacted telephonically, Ryan said she was waiting for a roof repair specialist to attend to the issue.
“The roof guy is on his way and we are not sure as to the exact cause, but he did tell me that it could be a change in wind and direction of the rain that occurred.
“As a result the water could have seeped under the roof tiles and lining, and into the house.
“Fortunately we are insured but we can only really start to assess the damage once everything is dry,” she said.
Across town in Walmer, an assisted living home/frail care centre also suffered severe damage as a result of the flooding.
The owner of the home, Letitia Scholtz, who asked for the home’s name not to be published, said the downpour had caused their storage area to flood, resulting in the loss of thousands of rand’s worth of equipment, food and supplies.
“The flatlet where we store our adult diapers, beds, medical supplies and equipment, including nebulisers and walkers, appliances, washing and food, was all damaged.
“We had restocked on supplies yesterday [Tuesday] and now it is all gone.
“We have estimated the damage to exceed R30,000 and unfortunately we are not insured.
“We are very grateful that all of our residents remained safe and warm throughout the storms.”
Scholtz said they had been overwhelmed by the response of the broader community following a plea for assistance she had posted on social media.
“We have received a lot of support from other homes, as well as members of the community who arrived here to assist us with mopping up.
“They also brought cooked soup and other supplies to help us. We are truly grateful for their contribution.”
In Fairview, a retirement village lost part of its boundary wall overnight as strong winds and heavy downpours saw the bricks ripped loose from their foundations.
Meanwhile in Movegrove Road, Westering, home owner Charlene Hoole had to deal with her pool being uprooted during the stormy evening.
“At about 1.15am I heard a loud bang but I thought it was two cars in an accident,” she said.
“Then I got up and saw lightning and thunder, so, assuming the sound must have just been that, I wrote it off and went back to sleep.”
However, when she woke in the morning and drew her curtains, Hoole received a shock at what she saw.
“I saw something was wrong with the pool and when I got there I was truly shocked — the pool had been dislodged from the ground.
“We have been living in this house since April 28 1978 and installed the pool in 1981, and nothing of the sort has happened during that time.
“Fortunately, the house is insured and I just hope the pool is as well.
“It is difficult, especially after the passing of my husband two years ago.”
Several other incidents of collapsed walls, trees and infrastructure were also reported across Gqeberha’s western suburbs as a result of the storm.
Should anyone wish to assist the Walmer frail care home they can contact Scholtz on 079-084-6537.
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