There was finally some respite to the heat and drought as Cape Town got its first rain in weeks on Wednesday.
The city experienced a few hours of intermittent and heavy rain‚ accompanied by thunder and lightning‚ after months of drought.
The downpour was rapid and unexpected and caused flooding in some suburbs.
In Blaauwberg a palm tree was struck by lightning and went up in flames.
The city’s disaster risk management said that there were no reports of any major flooding or damage caused by the downpour‚ but they were on alert.
Spokeswoman Charlotte Powell said the department had a flooding and storms task team which was on standby and ready to be activated at any moment.
“The team is made of various departments including roads and stormwater‚ informal settlements and parks and forests‚ and they are equipped to deal with any incidents relating to floods.”
Dam levels in the City of Cape Town stood at 23% this week‚ only 86 days of water left.
- TMG Digital