Gift of the Givers ready to respond to weather emergencies

Humanitarian aid organisation, Gift of the Givers, says it’s on standby to respond to any emergencies that may arise from the forecast severe weather conditions.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS)  has issued a warning for a cold front in most parts of the country from Sunday to the middle of the week. This includes strong winds and damaging rains, which will be accompanied by snowfall.

Gift of the Givers provincial spokesperson Ali Sablay says the organisation has already dispatched teams to the Silverton Informal Settlement in Khayelitsha and Thembalethu in George in the Western Cape following a fire.

“As our Western Cape teams prepare for the inclement weather predictions for the weekend and the coming months, we are inundated with calls for assistance of fires that are occurring in informal settlements. In the past 7 days, our teams have assisted fire victims of Khayelitsha, Kosovo and Samora Machel, where homes have been gutted, leaving people displaced.”

Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre says it’s closely monitoring the possible impact of the inclement weather conditions. It says the SAWS has cancelled its forecast for disruptive rain in the city as well as the West Coast and Garden Route regions.

The Disaster Management spokesperson, Charlotte Powell, says there’s no significant weather impact as yet.

“Thus far, no significant impacts have been reported to the Disaster Operations Centre, although this situation might change as the day progresses. The public is reminded to direct any requests for City services via the online platforms or the Customer call centre on 0860 103 089. Emergency incidents should be directed to the Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700.”

Level 3 Warning

Earlier today, SAWS issued a yellow Level 3 Warning saying disruptive Snow leading to icy road conditions causing major traffic disruptions, especially the N1 Highway, is expected over the Beaufort West municipality of the Western Cape from the evening into Monday.