The police’s water wing and the Ekurhuleni emergency services had to evacuate Atlasville residents from homes flooded in a heavy downpour on Friday. Police Superintendent Eugene Opperman said several blocks of the Boksburg suburb were flooded by a cloudburst on Friday night.
The rain also affected flight operations at the nearby Johannesburg International airport in Kempton Park, he said.
”We evacuated those who wanted to go. Some residents elected to stay,” he said.
Storm drainage in the area was overwhelmed and streets in Atlasville and surrounding areas became raging torrents in which even heavy manhole covers were washed away, Opperman said.
Some houses in the area were reportedly structurally damaged in the deluge, but the full extent of the damage was expected to become known only at daylight.
A thunderstorm, accompanied by hail, delayed outgoing flights at Johannesburg International airport by up to an hour-and-a-half on Friday evening — and caused the diversion of incoming flights.
Airport spokesperson Solomon Makgale said the storm hit the airport at about 5pm.
Incoming flights were initially allowed to land but outgoing flights were grounded, he said.
By 8pm, several incoming flights had been diverted to Lanseria, Bloemfontein and Durban to ease congestion at the airport.
Meanwhile, residents of Mpumalanga living in low-lying areas have been warned of heavy rains and possible flooding throughout the weekend.
The province’s local government and housing department said on Friday that the warning is especially targeted at residents of Piet Retief, Graskop, Nelspruit, Sikukuza and Lydenburg.
”The department advises communities to take the precautions in the event of floods,” departmental spokesperson Simphiwe Kunene said in a media statement. ”This includes moving to higher ground, turning off gas and electricity and checking the water level before attempting to cross rivers.”
In the event of flooding, communities are advised to call the department’s disaster toll free number, Tel: 0800 202 507.
The Kruger National Park has closed the Crocodile River Bridge entrance, because the road has been flooded.
”Guests are advised to use alternative gates like Malelane entrance gate (about 58km away) if they are coming to the park this weekend,” said park officials.
”It is also recommended that visitors to the park exercise extreme caution when driving on gravel roads and take note of roads that have been closed, as they could get stuck and it might be some time before help arrives.” — Sapa