Bay braces for heavy rains, with weather warning upgraded to level 8

Nelson Mandela Bay is bracing for a big downpour following the latest warning by the national weather forecaster.

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon it was responding to the South African Weather Service’s (SAWS) warning upgrade from level five to eight for disruptive rainfall across parts of the Eastern Cape, effective for June 3-4.

“The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has activated the joint operations centre and a heightened disaster management and emergency response plan,” it said.

“The warning covers Nelson Mandela Bay and surrounding areas, with forecasts indicating up to 200mm of rainfall, widespread flooding, dangerous travel conditions, infrastructure damage and potential disruptions to communities.

“The municipality is urging all residents, businesses, motorists and community organisations to take immediate precautionary measures ahead of the anticipated severe weather conditions.”

Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said according to SAWS, the upgrade was necessitated by increased rainfall projections, saturated ground conditions resulting from recent rainfall, and the significant damage caused by previous weather systems.

“Forecasts indicate rainfall accumulations of up to 100mm on Wednesday, with a further 50mm to 100mm possible on Thursday.

“Rainfall probabilities remain extremely high, with a 100% chance of rain on Wednesday and an 80% chance on Thursday.”

Soyaya said the metro’s disaster management centre, emergency services, engineering teams and critical infrastructure departments had been placed on high alert and were co-ordinating preparedness measures across the city.

The expected effects included widespread flooding of formal and informal settlements; flooding of roads, bridges and low-lying areas; significant disruptions to transport routes; dangerous driving conditions caused by reduced visibility and slippery roads; potential mudslides and rockfalls; damage to public and private infrastructure; and communities becoming isolated due to flooding and road closures.

Soyaya said residents living in flood-prone areas were urged to prepare for possible evacuations should conditions deteriorate.

“The municipality is further monitoring a yellow level two warning for damaging waves, with wave heights of between 4m and 5m expected along the Nelson Mandela Bay coastline.”

Weather Guru Garth Sampson said on Monday that while the incoming storm itself might not be as severe as May’s occurrence, it could still have a big effect on residents, particularly farmers.

“One must remember the ground is very soaked from the last rains, and anything will run off it at this point.

“The storm is not as severe, but considering that people and farmers are still suffering, this is really not needed,” he said.

“Between 50mm and 150mm of rain is expected to fall over about three days, and under these circumstances that is a lot.”

He noted that the dams were still full.

“Any rain will go straight over the dam walls. The Gamtoos and Patensie area is particularly under threat.”

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