Schools have been closed in some parts of South Africa’s Western Cape city, including but not limited to Cape Town, because of a dangerous storm that wrecked havoc on the 6th and 7th of April. The closure will have effect on the 8th of April and it is expected for the schools to communicate with the parents and warn them about the position they are in and the threat they are facing. In some parts of the city, the closure will also continue on the 9th of April due to the expectancy of more rain and wind.
Referring to the situation, Western Cape Education Minister said “We have not taken the decision to close these schools lightly: we have done so out of an abundance of caution to protect our learners and school staff. It is always better to be safe than sorry.”, showing the importance they give to the security and welfare of the students, teachers and other people that work in their schools. He also added that they have received many reports from several different schools that have been damaged by the storm and high winds. The schools stated that their infrastructure teams were assessing the damage.
This decision was followed by a Level 9 warning for damaging winds and rain in many parts of the state from the South American Weather Service (SAWS). The SAWS also added that some parts of the region have received over 50 mm, whereas a normal rain amount is below 25 mm, rain in just a single day. The severe storm resulted in floods, road closures and power outages, making it difficult for people to continue their everyday routines. By the afternoon of the 8th of April, some parts of the city of Cape Town were left without electricity due to power outages.
It was said that one high school had to fully close its doors and windows due to the strong, destructive rain and storm as well as the flood that happened as a result of the severe amount of rain.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said that the provincial government had deployed emergency services and added: “We appeal to everyone to please exercise extreme caution and avoid unnecessary travel.”, adding that at least 26 schools had suffered weather-related damages across the province.
Officials remained on high alert for more extreme weather conditions on Monday, 8th of April. They reported that the only person who died was a security officer who was patrolling on his bike when a tree was uprooted by heavy winds and fell on him. It is thought that there may be more than one death, but it is hoped that there will not be any more casualties or deaths reported.
Furthermore, the heavy winds also fanned the wildfires in the Glencairn area in the city of Cape Town, where it is estimated by a local representative that at least eight houses were gutted; making people understand that this strong storm not only caused floods and water related disasters but also spreading fires.
Since there are a lot of people whose houses were damaged or do not have a warm place to stay, both the government and other companies are trying to help the citizens by serving warm dishes, soups and distributing helpful items such as non-perishable groceries, hygiene packs and blankets to make these days pass by a bit easier, healthier and most importantly safer. Moreover, there have been some donation campaigns going on for Cape Town. People are trying to raise money by using “#ActForChange” hashtag and it is said that 100% of these donations will go to local and beneficiary organizations.
To wrap up, the heavy storm in Cape Town caused schools to be cancelled and life to be affected badly. We hope that Cape Town will recover fast from any kind of damage caused by this storm, winds and rains. The fire and flood disasters are tried to be taken control of and the efforts will continue in the following days.