Garden Route residents evacuated amid Level 8 storm warning

Dark clouds during a stormy day.

Disaster management teams in the Garden Route have begun evacuating some residents as a precautionary measure as a Level 8 storm batters parts of the district.

Authorities warn that saturated ground, full dams and swollen rivers could lead to flooding similar to that seen last month across the area.

Heavy rain and strong winds have begun battering parts of the Garden Route as a powerful cut-off low-pressure system moves across the Western Cape.

The South African Weather Service has issued a Level 8 warning for George, Knysna, Bitou and Oudtshoorn, where up to 200 millimetres of rain is expected over the next two days.

The warning comes less than a month after severe flooding left at least 11 people dead across the province and caused extensive damage to homes, roads and critical infrastructure.

“All our dams are full because of the previous rains we’ve had. The areas are saturated, so any drop of rain falling is now flowing into the rivers. We know that rivers are flooding as we speak,” says Head of the Disaster Risk Management Centre in the Garden Route District Municipality, Gerhard Otto.

Otto says Disaster Management teams have been preparing since Monday.

“We did proactively evacuate some areas in Outshoorn, Velgelijk and De Rist, and placed those people in community halls in Toekom’s Rist, just because we know that that area close to the river is going to flood again. So, to make sure that nobody’s in harm’s way, we’ve done that. We’re obviously expecting more people to come to community halls as the dwellings might be wet again.”

🌧️Frigid, wet, and windy conditions are expected, with disruptive rainfall potentially resulting in significant to severe flooding in the Eastern Cape & the Western Cape. #saws #weatheroutlook #southafricanweather pic.twitter.com/vbZQIHTdyR

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) June 3, 2026

VIDEO | Wednesday weather report:

Authorities are also warning residents to be cautious around damaged trees weakened during last month’s storm. Two people in the district lost their lives when trees fell during the May flooding.

While no major incidents or fatalities have been reported so far, disaster officials warn the worst of the weather may still lie ahead. Schools in the Eden and Central Karoo education districts have been closed for two days as a precaution, while emergency teams continue to monitor conditions across the region.