Rain damage not as bad as in 2000

KOMATIPOORT - Residents of Komatipoort and Malalane are breathing a collective sigh of relief as the recent stormy conditions haven’t affected local trade and infrastructure as badly as expected.

According to Ms Rose McEwan, owner of the Komati River Chalets in Komatipoort, the recent heavy rain has led to a rise in the water level of the Komati River that flows along the border of the lodge.

The level is, however, still two metres below the flood line of 2000.

"We are lucky that the rain hasn’t affected us that badly. Due to the rain the river is much wider and our visitors can’t do the river walk. We also had to refer fisherman to other dams as a result of the murky water," says McEwan.

According to her they have measured about 230mm since the start, but some parts of Strydomblok have received more than 500mm since Sunday.

She adds that due to the expanding river, they discovered a massive crocodile on their front lawn on Wednesday morning.

Ms Bridgette Taylor who lives on a farm in Strydomblok admits that they didn’t escape the rain unscaved, as the water pushed up from underneath her house causing extensive damage to the carpeting.

"Our house on the farm is low-lying and that was the cause of the water pushing up through the soil.

"But the water has receded sufficiently and the insurance assessors have already been here this morning (Thursday) to asses the damage," says Taylor.

She adds that another frustration is the fact that many of the workers on the farm can’t come to work, due to the fact that they live across the river and usually make use of a pontoon to get across.

"The pontoon has been swept away by the flood current, but at least we know where it is and will make plans to retrieve it.

"We have also started digging trenches around the house to prevent any future damage," says Taylor.

According to Ms Ronel van Rooy, owner of the Belvedere-on-river guest house, her lodge has not been badly affected as it is situated quite high on the riverbank.

"The only thing the rain has done was to create a breathtaking view of the river,"
says Van Rooy.

According to Mr Johan Espach, co-owner of the River House Guest Lodge in Malalane, the only real damage he experienced during the recent rain was to his nervous system. "We have been lucky not to have real damage to our property as was the case in 2000.

During the 2000 flood our whole deck washed away, but we replaced it with a reinforced structure that allows for massive amounts of water to pass through it without suffering any damage," says Espach.

- Die Laevelder