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Emergency services on standby in Tshwane for storm Eloise power outages

The Tshwane municipality says its emergency services are on standby in case of power outages resulting from tropical storm Eloise. File photo.
The Tshwane municipality says its emergency services are on standby in case of power outages resulting from tropical storm Eloise. File photo.
Image: Alon Skuy

Tshwane mayor Randall Williams says emergency services will be on standby to help communities in case of service delivery disruptions and power outages resulting from tropical storm Eloise.

On Monday, Williams said severe weather conditions can knock down trees and street lights, which can result in power outages. He said the teams are on “standby to ensure they respond speedily to prevent prolonged outages”.

“Our emergency services department is also on high alert to respond if the heavy rains persist as this can result in flooding. The teams are ready in case they need to deploy to provide support to communities severely impacted by these weather events.

“There are low-lying roads and bridges in Tshwane. I advise motorists to travel carefully in the wet weather. Should we face prolonged heavy rains, the Tshwane teams will move to close the roads and bridges that can flood and become a hazard for travellers,” Williams said.

The cyclone made landfall in Mozambique on Saturday. It weakened on Sunday and has since displaced more than 8,000 people.

Tamara Broque, a resident, told Reuters: “Since the day before yesterday, I have been queuing, but I have not been able to board the boat [to evacuate Buzi, a district of Sofala province in Mozambique]. We’ve left everything behind. We only have the clothes we wear. We are sleeping on the road under the rain. We are suffering.”

The cyclone is expected to move to some parts of Botswana on Tuesday, and SA can expect heavy rain in the coming days.

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