Flash f lood chaos

HEAVY rains flooded many homes around Windhoek on Friday night, damaging property and leaving people stranded and homeless. What residents of Acacia, one of the worst-hit areas on the western outskirts of the City, were assured would not happen for the second time, did happen.

More than 30 homes of the housing development were flooded as the raging Arebbusch River once again burst its banks shortly after 17h00 on Friday, tearing down boundary walls as the floodwaters stormed through houses and cars, and leaving people to wade waist-deep down the street to hold on to their belongings. MORE FLOODING FEARED On January 16 2004, residents of Acacia suffered the same fate and they were assured by the developers, Dannic Construction, and the City of Windhoek that the mitigating measures would ensure that the area would not flood soon again.Owner of Dannic Construction Nic Pienaar said yesterday that he could not be expected to compensate Acacia owners for their losses again, as he had done last time.He put the flooding down to the Arebbusch River simply having broken its banks and pointed out that homeowners in Pioneerspark and Hochland Park which were also along the river had also suffered damage as a result.”I can’t do that again [fix the damage].I will ruin myself every time the river comes down.I can’t take the responsibility for the rest of my life, every time the river floods,” Pienaar told The Namibian.”This time the river just overflowed.It would have been worse if the rubble was still there”.SHIFTING BLAME Himself a homeowner at Acacia, Pienaar said Dannic Construction had handed over the road and service provision to the Windhoek Municipality and was no longer responsible for the development.Acacia residents The Namibian spoke to said no one from the construction company had been to see them to discuss the way forward.City of Windhoek Chief Executive Officer Niilo Taapopi visited a scene of devastation and destruction at Acacia on Saturday morning as frustrated and hopeless residents were trying to salvage what was left of their property, sweeping mud and water from their houses.Assisted by the Namibia Defence Force, the fire brigade began sandbagging houses in Acacia in case of more flooding.City spokesperson Liz Sibindi said yesterday that the municipality’s prime concern had been safeguarding people’s lives and property and that investigations into the causes of the flooding were likely only to be discussed today.”It is not only the City who should say something, but also the constructors.We don’t want to go into who is guilty right now.First we want to safeguard lives and then as time goes on we can address these issues,” said Sibindi.Two years ago, with a promise from the developers to fix the structural damage of the houses and build walls in the river to prevent future flooding, most residents decided not to take any legal action for their losses.Although most of Friday night’s destruction occurred in a part of Acacia that was largely undeveloped during the first flooding, and houses previously destroyed did not suffer any damage this time around, for some residents this is the second time they were affected.This time they also do not appear as forgiving about the situation and say they refuse to return to these houses.Some fed-up residents told The Namibian they intended to approach the banks to cancel their loans or face consequences for agreeing to fund structurally unsound property.Legal action against the municipality and the developers has also not been ruled out.The municipality said yesterday that it received at least 23 calls for assistance in the Otjomuise, Okuryangava, Hakahana, Pionierspark Extension 1 and Hochland Park suburbs on Friday night.As relatives and friends of residents in Acacia Park tried to load what they could into available vehicles on Friday night, the city’s emergency officials, who had arrived on the scene quickly, advised them to evacuate their homes.By the time some people arrived home from work to learn of the state of their property, curious onlookers had already trudged through homes to see for themselves what the mayhem was about.Some houses stood firmly shut with the homeowners still on holiday and neighbours watched helplessly as water pushed its way from one property to the next through locked gates and doors.As quickly as the floodwater pushed its way through houses and down the streets of Acacia, it receded, but the river continued to rage on through the night, level with the foundation of houses built on its banks.Heavy downpours in the city since Wednesday have also meant that around 130 residents of Katutura’s Dolam area have been living in the Sam Nujoma Soccer Stadium as flooding made their homes uninhabitable.The Windhoek Meteorological Office said yesterday that the Hochland Park area received the highest rainfall in the city of 80 mm on Thursday, while Suiderhof received as much as 85 mm on Friday.In 2004, infrastructure damage was put at N$6 million – the greatest expense being the replacement of water lines and the sewerage system.Victor Kaurimuje of the Windhoek Weather Bureau said yesterday that the weather system which had led to the heavy rains in the Windhoek area would clear in the coming days and it would only remain cloudy.MORE FLOODING FEARED On January 16 2004, residents of Acacia suffered the same fate and they were assured by the developers, Dannic Construction, and the City of Windhoek that the mitigating measures would ensure that the area would not flood soon again.Owner of Dannic Construction Nic Pienaar said yesterday that he could not be expected to compensate Acacia owners for their losses again, as he had done last time.He put the flooding down to the Arebbusch River simply having broken its banks and pointed out that homeowners in Pioneerspark and Hochland Park which were also along the river had also suffered damage as a result.”I can’t do that again [fix the damage].I will ruin myself every time the river comes down.I can’t take the responsibility for the rest of my life, every time the river floods,” Pienaar told The Namibian.”This time the river just overflowed.It would have been worse if the rubble was still there”.SHIFTING BLAME Himself a homeowner at Acacia, Pienaar said Dannic Construction had handed over the road and service provision to the Windhoek Municipality and was no longer responsible for the development.Acacia residents The Namibian spoke to said no one from the construction company had been to see them to discuss the way forward.City of Windhoek Chief Executive Officer Niilo Taapopi visited a scene of devastation and destruction at Acacia on Saturday morning as frustrated and hopeless residents were trying to salvage what was left of their property, sweeping mud and water from their houses. Assisted by the Namibia Defence Force, the fire brigade began sandbagging houses in Acacia in case of more flooding.City spokesperson Liz Sibindi said yesterday that the municipality’s prime concern had been safeguarding people’s lives and property and that investigations into the causes of the flooding were likely only to be discussed today.”It is not only the City who should say something, but also the constructors.We don’t want to go into who is guilty right now.First we want to safeguard lives and then as time goes on we can address these issues,” said Sibindi.Two years ago, with a promise from the developers to fix the structural damage of the houses and build walls in the river to prevent future flooding, most residents decided not to take any legal action for their losses.Although most of Friday night’s destruction occurred in a part of Acacia that was largely undeveloped during the first flooding, and houses previously destroyed did not suffer any damage this time around, for some residents this is the second time they were affected.This time they also do not appear as forgiving about the situation and say they refuse to return to these houses.Some fed-up residents told The Namibian they intended to approach the banks to cancel their loans or face consequences for agreeing to fund structurally unsound property.Legal action against the municipality and the developers has also not been ruled out.The municipality said yesterday that it received at least 23 calls for assistance in the Otjomuise, Okuryangava, Hakahana, Pionierspark Extension 1 and Hochland Park suburbs on Friday night.As relatives and friends of residents in Acacia Park tried to load what they could into available vehicles on Friday night, the city’s emergency officials, who had arrived on the scene quickly, advised them to evacuate their homes.By the time some people arrived home from work to learn of the state of their property, curious onlookers had already trudged through homes to see for themselves what the mayhem was about.Some houses stood firmly shut with the homeowners still on holiday and neighbours watched helplessly as water pushed its way from one property to the next through locked gates and doors.As quickly as the floodwater pushed its way through houses and down the streets of Acacia, it receded, but the river continued to rage on through the night, level with the foundation of houses built on its banks.Heavy downpours in the city since Wednesday have also meant that around 130 residents of Katutura’s Dolam area have been living in the Sam Nujoma Soccer Stadium as flooding made their homes uninhabitable.The Windhoek Meteorological Office said yesterday that the Hochland Park area received the highest rainfall in the city of 80 mm on Thursday, while Suiderhof received as much as 85 mm on Friday.In 2004, infrastructure damage was put at N$6 million – the greatest expense being the replacement of water lines and the sewerage system.Victor Kaurimuje of the Windhoek Weather Bureau said yesterday that the weather system which had led to the heavy rains in the Windhoek area would clear in the coming days and it would only remain cloudy.