Western Cape Brought to Its Knees
The Western Cape in South Africa continues to be rocked by natural disasters this week, from 11-metre-high swells, flash floods and snowfall, to gale force winds and raging fires.
In Knysna, firefighters continue to battle the rampant fire which has devastated the town. The region, which was already reeling under the province-wide water shortages, now add limited electricity and telecommunications to their list of woes.
Gale force winds of up to 110km/h on Wednesday evening sent flames running wild across the Eden district in Knysna. Around 10,000 people have been displaced and over 20 suburbs evacuated, after 300 structures, including houses, offices and schools, were reduced to ashes.
Resident, Diana Pieters, described the disaster as an “unreal situation”. At least five people have been confirmed dead thus far, including a family of three, an infant, and firefighter, Bradley Richards.
The flames have also engulfed and destroyed homes in Brenton-on-Sea and Knysna Heights.
One resident who watched her home burn to the ground, described a fate which many other Knysna locals are suffering. “The clothes on our bodies are the only thing we own,” resident, Chanel Lotters, said.
The disaster has brought with it multiple causes of stress, from homelessness and death to the terrifying unknown. Hundreds of residents and other family members have been wracked with concern over loved ones who have seemingly gone missing during the emergency evacuations. Some of these include the elderly and the chronically ill.
Charity Group, the Gift of the Givers, has provided a text service to assist in locating those missing. Should you have any knowledge on the whereabouts of Laurence McGorian, 80, Carol Hendey, 90, Renier Kok, 28, and his wife Alicia Horn, 21, please SMS the Gift of the Givers on 083 236 4029.
“Some areas that were evacuated have been declared safe and people from those areas have been allowed to return home,” said spokesperson, James Brent-Styan.
However, many parts of the town are still unsafe and will remain out of bounds until any danger is ruled out – and even then, not everyone will have something to return to.
Image: A raging fire in Knysna late yesterday afternoon. Photo: Facebook. [online image] (2017). Sourced on 9 June from http://www.knysnaplettherald.com/news/News/General/190318/Donations-for-fire-victims.
