Staff Reporter
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) rescued 49 people and an undetermined number of animals during a mass overnight flood operation in the Gamtoos Valley near Jeffreys Bay.
The NSRI said its Emergency Operations Centre and Oyster Bay crew were activated at 01:40 on Friday after reports that people and animals were trapped by rising water at Kingsway Resort on the Gamtoos River.
Crews from Gqeberha, Oyster Bay, Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay were called in, alongside police, emergency medical services, Kouga authorities, Rescue South Africa and local volunteers.
“Reports suggested at least 40 persons, and animals, trapped by rising waters,” NSRI Eastern Cape Regional Representative Ian Gray said in a statement. The organisation later estimated that 60 people had been at risk.
The flooding followed a South African Weather Service (SAWS) orange level 8 warning for disruptive rain over Kouga and Kou-Kamma, with heavy rain forecast to cause flooding of roads, bridges and settlements, and the risk that some communities could be temporarily cut off.
The NSRI said the Kouga Dam had risen from about 40% to an estimated 132% in 12 hours, while the Groot Rivier was also reported to be in flood, causing flooding through the Patensie Valley and down towards the coast.
According to SAWS, more than 100mm of rain had fallen across the region. Kouga Municipality issued evacuation orders after the dam exceeded capacity.
Rescue teams deployed three NSRI rescue JetRIBs, 15 rescue swimmers and small floating canoes, but the operation was slowed by fast-flowing water, farm fences and difficult terrain.
The NSRI said crews had to move people and animals across sections of floodwater before transferring them to other craft or wading them to safety.
“As daylight presented, a police helicopter joined in the operation,” Gray said. The aircraft helped move stranded people to areas where they could be transported further by rescue craft, canoes or ground crews.
Paramedics assessed rescued residents at the staging area, and the NSRI said no major injuries and no fatalities were reported. Those rescued included elderly people, adults, children, dogs, cats, parrots, and livestock.
The NSRI said a separate alarm was raised during the morning for a family trapped on a roof further upstream. Rescue crews from Oyster Bay and St Francis Bay, Rescue South Africa personnel, police divers and NSRI rescue swimmers reached the family and evacuated them safely.
In total, 49 people, aged between five and 80, were rescued, while at least 15 others refused to be relocated, the NSRI said. Displaced people and animals were being assisted by the municipality until it was safe to return.
By Saturday morning, weather conditions around Jeffreys Bay and Gqeberha had cleared, with weather reports showing sunny conditions and temperatures of about 11°C to 12°C early in the day, although flood risks remained because of swollen rivers, saturated ground and damaged infrastructure.
The NSRI appealed to motorists and the public not to cross floodwaters and urged residents to monitor SAWS alerts, saying that further cold fronts were expected over the coming weeks and months.
INSIDE METROS
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Charles Molele
insidemetros.co.za
