Cape Town’s disaster risk-management centre is on full alert following a severe weather warning from the South African Weather Service on Thursday.
All city departments that may be required to respond to flooding, storm damage to infrastructure or disruption of services will maintain adequate standby levels during this period, the council said in a statement.
The city had also implemented a flood-reduction plan to limit the impact of flooding in winter.
The service’s Cape Town office warned that very cold, wet and windy conditions were expected to set in over the western interior of the Western Cape on Thursday, spreading eastwards by Friday.
Gale-force westerly to south-westerly winds, reaching 75km/h, were expected to develop between Cape Agulhas and Plettenberg Bay on Friday, and rough seas of 5m were expected to develop between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay.
Members of the public should report life- or property-threatening flooding and other emergencies to the 107 Public Emergency Communication Centre at telephone 107 (from any landline) or 021 480 7700 (from cellphones).
Flooding, damage and other service disruptions not posing immediate threat to life or property should be reported to the Technical Operations Centre at telephone 0860 103 054. — Sapa