Disaster Management is preparing for the worst – ahead of the extreme weather conditions expected to make a landfall from 07 June 2017
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), honourable Des van Rooyen noted the weather alert from the South African weather services on the likelihood of severe weather condition.
The Weather Services, “issued an alert that an intense cold front with associated steep upper air trough is expected to affect the Western Cape on Wednesday, 07 June and Thursday 08 June 2017. The reports further states that rain and showers are expected early Wednesday morning in the extreme western parts, spreading eastwards to the rest of the province and northwards into the western and southern parts of the Northern Cape throughout the day. While the precipitation subsides over the eastern parts of the Western Cape late Wednesday night, showers are likely to persist over the west overnight into Thursday morning. This system is expected to bring heavy rain leading to flooding, extensive gale force winds, very high seas and snowfall over the high-lying areas”.
Speaking on this developments, Minister van Rooyen said “Under these extraordinary and threatening circumstances, the National Disaster Management is working closely with the Provincial Disaster Management Centres across the country, especially in those provinces that will be negatively affected by this approaching storms like the Western Cape”.
The Minister therefore assures the country that the disaster management teams are ready across the country to deal with any eventualities. Minister van Rooyen further apealed for South Africans to be vigilant ahead of these expected negative weather conditions.
Communities that reside in low lying areas and everyone who will be on the path of this extreme weather conditions should take precautionary measures and ensure that they remain indoors and avoid being on the roads as this can expose them to risk and make the work of disaster teams difficult.
The disaster teams have taken a position that says it is better to be well prepared than to be caught napping by these negative weather conditions that have the potential to result in the destruction of infrastructure, property and even result in fatalities. Members of the public are therefore requested to cooperate with emergency teams across the country to ensure that the task of assisting them is made easier.
Minister van Rooyen therefore urges members of the public to remain calm and follow alerts and warnings from the news channels for more information and safety message about the expected extreme weather conditions.
Enquiries:
Legadima Leso
Cell: 083 378 9495
