The South African Weather Service has issued another Level 4 warning for damaging waves along the Cape coastline until midnight on Sunday.
THE SOUTH African Weather Service (Saws) has issued another Level 4 warning for damaging waves along the Cape coastline until midnight on Sunday.
The warning comes as the spring tide has caused chaos along some parts of the coast.
The Saws warned of damaging waves and motorists and residents were urged to practise extra caution.
“Be aware of large unpredictable waves along the coast. Small vessels are advised to seek shelter in harbours, bays or inlets. Be aware of strong rip currents especially during spring tides,” the Saws said.
City of Cape Town disaster risk management centre spokesperson Charlotte Powell said coastal areas around Gordon’s Bay and Kalk Bay experienced excessive wave movement and strong winds which impacted communities along the coast.
Initial Disaster Management team assessments indicated damage to garage doors of eight properties in the Bikini Beach area of Gordon’s Bay, as well as sand and debris across the affected areas.
“The City’s Solid Waste department started with clean-up operations in Bikini Beach, while Traffic Services and Law Enforcement assisted with road closures,” Powell said.
Reports of damage to the St James tidal pool were also received with excessive sand and rocks being deposited in the passenger tunnels.
The Mossel Bay municipality confirmed affected areas include beach access to Tweedestrand, and Dana Bay which was washed away and is barred for public use. Access to the Point, Mossel Bay and a number of other beaches has been closed.
The George municipality on Saturday said saltwater had flooded the N2 at Touws River near Salina’s in Wilderness.
The municipality has since confirmed that all beaches are closed to the public.
“The George Municipal Disaster Management and Service teams are on high alert and are closely monitoring the situation. More high tide surges, predicted to swell up to 2.9 metres, are forecast. Therefore, all-out cleaning and mop-up operations are not being conducted for the day. However, the Municipal Community Services will clear the debris.
“A number of structural damages have been noted, with power outages in some areas lying on the beaches of George. While the tide is low, the municipal technical teams will go on-site to assess the issues,” the municipality said.
Meanwhile, at the Tsitsikamma National Park, SANParks evacuated staff to safe areas following a storm surge in the area. A Level 5 warning was issued for Tsitsikamma by the SAWS.
“The park management and local authorities are currently assessing the situation in as far as safety is concerned. All visitors and staff have been evacuated at this point to a safe area.
“Visitors planning to visit the area are urged to exercise caution. The park communications is currently down due to the storm surge,” SANParks said.
