The deafening sound of raging floodwaters crashing through her home was all 78-year-old Carole Dreyer could hear as she spent 11 terrifying hours trapped in the attic of her cottage in Bonnievale in the Cape Winelands.
Barefoot and dressed only in pyjamas, Dreyer sat in darkness with her cats listening to water surge through her home “like a tsunami”, convinced she might not survive the night.
On Monday, she returned to the cottage to find it buried in thick mud and debris, the latest victim of the devastating floods and gale-force winds that battered parts of the Western Cape last week, leaving at least 11 people dead and thousands displaced.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Dreyer said she initially did not believe the floods would become life-threatening because previous flooding in the area had never reached her cottage.
“Last year there was flooding, but the water only came about 30 metres from my cottage. I thought I would stick it out this year because I had the upstairs attic,” she said.
On Thursday morning, she prepared for what she believed would be temporary flooding.
“I brought fresh water, cat food and warm clothes upstairs because I thought the water would come and then go away again.”
But as heavy rains intensified, concerned residents standing on the road phoned her, warning her about the rapidly rising water. Police later called, urging residents to evacuate.
“I packed my little bag and waited. The police said they would come at 8pm, but they never arrived. By then, the water was already at my knees, and my furniture had started floating.”
With the deluge sweeping through the property, Dreyer retreated to the attic.
“A strong current flowed right to my cottage,” she said.
Police later informed her they could not reach her because the water current was too dangerous.
“You could imagine how fast the water was moving. I am a very calm person, so I said to myself, if I am going to drown, then so be it.”
For hours, she sat listening helplessly as the floodwaters pounded against the house.
“I listened to the water thundering as if it were a tsunami. I could hear the water coming up the stairs. It got to about three or four steps from the top,” she said.
At around 3am, the police phoned again to reassure her, before calling at 5am to say the water levels had finally begun receding.
Members of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) later arrived by boat to rescue her.
“The water had covered most of the cottage, and they could not even find my front door. They used a rope to locate it. It took them about 20 minutes to get me out,” she said.
Dreyer managed to save only a small bag containing her passport, money and identity document.
“I was in pyjamas and had no shoes on.”
Dr Colin Deiner, chief director for disaster management and fire rescue services in the Western Cape, said authorities had been dealing with multiple severe weather systems across the province.
“While we were still dealing with the previous storm, we received another warning last Friday indicating that a very serious weather system would hit the western parts of the province,” he said.
The province experienced torrential rainfall of between 150mm and 200mm in mountainous areas, gale-force winds reaching 120km/h, widespread river flooding and dam spillovers.
According to the Western Cape government, more than 103,000 people and over 31,700 structures were affected in Cape Town alone, while tens of thousands more were impacted across the province.
More than 2,000 displaced residents were accommodated in emergency shelters.
Deiner said humanitarian relief efforts included nearly 18,500 cooked meals, more than 1,000 food parcels, blankets, hygiene packs, mattresses, clothing, baby supplies and bottled water which were distributed to affected communities.
Authorities are now conducting preliminary damage assessments, though officials warned the process would take time because of the scale of the destruction.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde described the devastation as overwhelming.
“Flying over today, you saw concrete slabs where houses used to stand. You saw gaps where bridges used to be. You saw mattresses lying in vineyards and wondered whose home that belonged to and whether those people were safe,” he said.
NGO Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE) assisted about 400 households and nearly 2,000 people with food, toiletries, sanitary items and blankets.
Despite her ordeal, Dreyer said the kindness of neighbours helped her through the traumatic experience.
A nearby couple took her in, offering her a hot shower and a place to sleep.
“I slept for 24 hours. Today I finally felt strong enough to come back so my team could start cleaning,” she said.
Standing ankle-deep in mud inside her ruined cottage, Dreyer managed to find a small piece of jewellery among the wreckage.
“Can you believe it?” she said softly. “In all this mud, I found my little jewellery.”
Yoliswa Sobuwa
www.timeslive.co.za
