Press Release: Issued George Municipality, 29 June 2020
The George Municipality had its hands full this weekend as extreme wind caused damage throughout the municipal area.
George Municipal Manager Trevor Botha said the municipality responded to hundreds of incidents including damage to electricity lines and informal housing and fallen trees in addition to the municipality’s usual attendance at veld fires and traffic accidents, and water and sanitation complaints. “The George Municipality Disaster Management Winter Season Readiness Plan for 2020 was activated with all the necessary roleplayers assisting with the various types of incidents experienced,” said Mr Botha.
George experienced several electricity outages, many as a result of broken electricity lines or trees on lines, in Wilderness Heights, Hoekwil, Wilderness East, Saasveld, Hansmoeskraal, Geelhoutboom, parts of Thembalethu, Witfontein, Heatherlands, Heather Park, Denneoord, George South and Rosemore. Repairs to the overhead electricity line near 7th Avenue in Wilderness necessitated the closure of the N2 for an hour on Sunday.
A trip on a high voltage line at a major substation resulted in a 17-minute outage over a large part of the city on Saturday morning including George Airport ,Tamsui industrial, George South, Rosedale, Bos en Dal, Groeneweide, Herolds Bay, Gwaing and parts of Pacaltsdorp and Thembalethu.
A total of 167 electricity-related complaints were received over the weekend.
Fire and Rescue services attended to 18 trees that had fallen in neighbourhoods in George and Wilderness, a formal house fire and an informal house fire and four grass fires.
The Department Human Settlements provided plastic sheeting to 37 houses in informal settlements in Thembalethu and Conville to assist with weather protection as well as sheeting for a house where the roof had blown off in Thembalethu. The department will also be assisting a family who had lost their house to a fire in Thembalethu at the weekend and who had temporarily moved in with family.