CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — More storms battered the South African city of Cape Town and surrounding areas on Thursday, ripping off roofs and triggering widespread flooding that forced at least 4,500 people from their homes and damaged at least 15,000 buildings. Damage, authorities said. devastating weather Started a week ago.
Multiple cold fronts have hit the southwestern tip of Africa since last weekend, bringing record rainfall and strong winds to some areas. The city said the severe weather is expected to continue into the weekend and possibly into next week.
Cape Town's Wynberg neighborhood was left devastated on Thursday morning after the latest front struck overnight. Strong winds blew off roofs, destroyed some homes and other buildings, and knocked down power poles.
The City of Cape Town said its Disaster Operations Center was working through the night to respond to calls from residents.
Ahead of Wednesday night's latest storm, at least 4,500 people have been displaced and 15,000 buildings damaged in and around Cape Town and the wider Western Cape, with figures expected to rise.
JP Smith, a member of the Cape Town Mayor's Safety and Security Committee, said the city and NGOs had provided more than 36,000 meals to affected people in the past two days and distributed 6,000 blankets.
Many homeless people live in poor informal settlements on the outskirts of Cape Town, where metal and wooden shacks are particularly vulnerable to strong winds and flooding.
Schools were closed in Cape Town and other nearby areas, including the famous wine region of Stellenbosch. The phenomenon.
Cape Town Mayor Jordyn Hill-Lewis said three of the province's main rivers had burst their banks.
Provincial disaster management authorities have ordered some evacuations in the agricultural region of West Truesdale and parts of the wine-growing region around Stellenbosch, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) inland from Cape Town, due to flooding. .
The provincial government said authorities are considering controlled releases from some dams as a “precautionary measure” to prevent them from overflowing and causing greater damage.
Cape Town and other areas of South Africa's southwest coast Often affected by cold fronts Winter in the middle of the year can bring heavy rains and strong winds. But it is unusual for multiple fronts to appear simultaneously in a short period of time.
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