Roads closed as heavy rains hit East London

Image: SPLISH SPLASH: Driving along the flooded Fitzpatrick Road between Quigney and Arcadia. Picture: MARK ANDREWS

Homes were flooded, sports fields swamped and traffic was disrupted as at least eight roads around East London were closed in a heavy downpour that started early yesterday morning.

Quinton Jacobs of the South African Weather Services said that as of 2pm yesterday , 60.8mm of rain had already fallen in East London.

“These rains are usual around this time of year because it is summer, but it is just a bit heavier than usual. We are expecting the rain to ease up towards the weekend,” he said.

One of the city’s main arterial routes, the North East Expressway had to be closed after extensive flooding.

Disaster management spokesman Captain John Fobian said officers from the police’s diving unit had assisted members of the public who got stuck in their vehicles.

Buffalo City Metro spokesman Keith Ngesi said the following roads around the city had to be closed off:

Strand Street, West Bank;
Dick King, Wilsonia;
Olympic Avenue, Cambridge; and
Robbie de Lange Road, Wilsonia.

Other roads which were closed and later reopened included:

Parkside Bridge near Beaconsfield Road;
Fleet Street leading to the Biko Bridge;
Link Road at the Beachfront; and
North East Expressway.

Nord Avenue in Abbotsford was completely flooded while sections of tarmac had been eroded away.
Ngesi said trucks were sent to problematic areas to pump water out from flooded stormwater drains.

He said they had not received any reports of electricity outages due to the rain.

Egoli resident, Antonio Ruiters, his wife and seven children were woken in the early hours of yesterday morning by water pouring in through the roof of their house.

When the Dispatch arrived at the home yesterday, the family were hard at work mopping up.

“We have already swept out most of the water, but we will have to carry on like this because it does not seem like the rain is going to stop anytime soon,” said Ruiters, adding that they had to resort to using blankets to soak up the water.

Meanwhile, residents of Buffalo Flats and Fynbos said there had been extensive flooding in both areas. Julian Harris of Buffalo Flats said a dam had formed outside his house due to a blocked stormwater drain.

“We have been living here for more than 20 years and every time there is a heavy downpour we know there is flooding outside our gate,” he said. We have almost given up on the municipality because we have reported this so many times.”

- Daily Dispatch