LAINGSBURG NEWS - Last Wednesday, 25 January marked 31 years since Laingsburg heaved a collective sigh of relief as the first drops fell amid the scorching heat of the summer of 1981. It rained throughout the Friday night and Saturday and continued on Sunday.
What started out as a godsend would become a hellish nightmare. Farmer Hannes Viktor of the farm Koringplaas, about 60 km upstream from Laingsburg near the banks of the Buffels River was probably the first victim. When his neighbour phoned to warn him about the rising water level, he was already trapped in his house, surrounded by a seething mass of water. Soon afterwards the unfortunate farmer was swept away.
Usually an arid part of the Moordenaar's Karoo, the Buffels River had become saturated by the weekend's continuous downpour, and a thick wall of slush accumulated in the entire catchment area in the north, from Merweville to Touws River as well as Dwyka. The river had grown into a monster raging south, sweeping away anything and anyone in its way. Two small, usual-ly dry creeks, the Wilgenhout and Baviaans Rivers, added to the frenzy and destruction of the Buffels, with apocalyptic consequences in Laingsburg.
Humans, animals, furniture, cars, entire houses, orchards and vineyards were swept away with equal disdain. Some people were thrown over the 21 metre wall of the Floriskraal Dam and never stood a chance, while ten survivors were rescued from the waters of the dam. The force of the river was so intense, that bodies were found as far south as Mossel Bay, although most of those reported missing were never found. About two-thirds of Laingsburg's infrastructure was destroyed, including 184 houses, 23 businesses, a home for the aged and four rondawels. More than 100 villagers from Laingsburg were reported dead or missing. Villages downstream also felt the brunt of the forces of nature. Fourteen people died in Montague, while Ladismith, Robertson and Ashton all suffered severe agricultural damage, but fortunately no lives were lost. Miraculously, two of the ten survivors rescued from the dam were a husband and wife who were swept out of Laingsburg and got separated, probably not believing that they would ever see each other again.
- Oudtshoorn Courant
SAWDOS: More information and photos about the Laingsburg flood is available HERE.
Look out for further updates on South African Disasters to be published soon.
I have posted some new content at www.laingsburgvloed.co.za Amongst other - and I quote: "Professore J.T. Harmse en W.J. Nieman, beide in 1981 dosente aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch, het vir ons toestemming gegee om hulle navorsingstuk Natuurkundige faktore wat aanleiding gegee het tot die Laingsburg Vloed: Implikasies vir Beplanning beskikbaar te stel. Kliek hier om die dokument af te laai. (4MB)Baie dankie aan die twee here!" Also: "Wynand Theron het in 2008 'n Powerpoint-aanbieding saamgestel waarin hy die Laingsburg van voor 25 Januarie 1981 m.b.v. foto's en teks vergelyk met die nuwe Laingsburg wat na Die Vloed herrys het. Baie dankie aan Wynand wat dit beskikbaar stel vir aflaai. (8MB)"
ReplyDeleteFor readers that do not understand Afrikaans: An research paper on the climatic etc. circumstances that was responsible for the Flood have been made available for download with the permission of the authors as well as a Powerpoint presentation by Wynand Theron whereby he compare the Laingsburg of before, during and after the Flood with each other.
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