Floods ravage the coast

STREETS at the three coastal towns of Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Luederitz turned into flowing rivers as unusually heavy rain poured down for the most part of last week.

The showers, accompanied by thunder and lightning, soaked the ground since Tuesday and by Friday morning many roads in Luederitz and Walvis Bay were inaccessible to traffic. The soil was soon saturated by downpours that brought more rain in four days than the average annual rainfall for the area.Since town planners did not make provision for heavy rain in towns on the edge of the arid Namib Desert, the infrastructure cannot drain or channel excessive water away from buildings.Streets and pavements were flooded and residents of lower-lying properties in Walvis Bay’s Narraville and Kuisebmond residential areas dug trenches and stacked sand bags in front of doors in an attempt to keep the rising water out of their houses.At Luederitz, about 50 families had to be evacuated from their homes after heavy rains hit the desert town at the weekend.According to the town council, about 200 families have been affected by the rains, which have measured 140 mm over the last week.The town’s infrastructure was not designed to deal with heavy rain, and the heavy downpours left it in a sorry state.Many roads, including the main road through the town, suffered severe damage, while the lagoon and some residential areas had to be evacuated.”It seems like Mariental has come to Narraville,” remarked a woman from Walvis Bay while pointing at the damp, warped legs of the chairs in her living room.”I moved all the furniture to the bedrooms because I thought the water wouldn’t rise that high.””We need more sandbags,” a mother in Kuisebmond told her son after eyeing the dark clouds above.While children splashed around in the river that used to be a street, at every other house women were mopping floors and dragging waterlogged carpets and mattresses outside.In a small supermarket in Narraville, buckets were strategically placed to catch water dripping through the ceiling, while three men tried to patch up the roof.Where roads were closed, municipal workers were pumping water from the streets into sewage pipes.Overwhelmed by phone calls, the Walvis Bay Municipality released a press statement appealing to residents to be patient.The Department of Water, Waste and Environmental Management is attending to the sewage network and excess water will be drained as soon as possible, the statement reads.In Swakopmund, most homes and businesses were unaffected.Unpaved salt roads were transformed into mud pits after the first downpours and wet, slippery road surfaces made driving and cycling very risky.At the DRC informal settlement and surrounding townships, shacks and their contents were completely soaked and attempts to salvage mattresses and furniture seemed futile.Luederitz Town Engineer Arnold Koeoman said yesterday that the extent of the damage could only be determined once an assessment report was finished – a task that he is to start working on today.The assessment, as well as repairing the flood damage, has been stalled by fears of more rain on the way, as forecast by the weather bureau.”But we’ve only received a few drops more,” he said yesterday.During the last week, the town council has been predominantly busy with relocating residents and securing their properties, while work on council infrastructure is to start this week.Among the areas affected by the floods are the Build Together Project, the Spokiesdorp township and the Number Seven area at the entrance to the town.Residents from these areas have been relocated to the Benguela Town Hall, while residents from the informal settlements have been moved to higher-lying areas.According to Koeoman, many of the town’s gravel roads have been washed away, while damage to the industrial road is estimated at between N$200 000 and N$250 000.”We’ve already received a number of quotes from stakeholders,” he said when asked whether anyone has come forward to help the town.”But we’ll have to look at a price that will be reasonable.”He also noted that Namdeb had been instrumental in helping with the evacuation and relocation of residents.”The machinery we have as council is too little, we really need the help of others,” he said, urging contractors and other institutions to help.The council has been pumping out all stagnant rainwater since last week to prevent unhygienic conditions.In a statement issued late last week, the Luederitz town council called on “all patriotic Namibians within and outside of town to render humanitarian support to affected residents and (to assist) council in rehabilitating its infrastructure.”Between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, large pans of water in low-lying desert plains created a rare scene at the feet of the Namib dunes.Yesterday afternoon, the weather bureau could not confirm any rainfall figures for the area over the last week, except for 13,8 millimetres measured at Rooikop Airport on Friday.Some residents of Walvis Bay measured between 17 and 25 millimetres from Wednesday to Friday and in Swakopmund between 12 and 18 millimetres were recorded for the same period.In Henties Bay, five millimetres were measured on Wednesday and three millimetres on Thursday.Sunny weather returned to the coast on Saturday.The weather bureau at Hosea Kutako airport has forecast that the central coast will enjoy fine and mild to warm weather for the next few days.The soil was soon saturated by downpours that brought more rain in four days than the average annual rainfall for the area.Since town planners did not make provision for heavy rain in towns on the edge of the arid Namib Desert, the infrastructure cannot drain or channel excessive water away from buildings.Streets and pavements were flooded and residents of lower-lying properties in Walvis Bay’s Narraville and Kuisebmond residential areas dug trenches and stacked sand bags in front of doors in an attempt to keep the rising water out of their houses.At Luederitz, about 50 families had to be evacuated from their homes after heavy rains hit the desert town at the weekend.According to the town council, about 200 families have been affected by the rains, which have measured 140 mm over the last week.The town’s infrastructure was not designed to deal with heavy rain, and the heavy downpours left it in a sorry state.Many roads, including the main road through the town, suffered severe damage, while the lagoon and some residential areas had to be evacuated.”It seems like Mariental has come to Narraville,” remarked a woman from Walvis Bay while pointing at the damp, warped legs of the chairs in her living room.”I moved all the furniture to the bedrooms because I thought the water wouldn’t rise that high.””We need more sandbags,” a mother in Kuisebmond told her son after eyeing the dark clouds above.While children splashed around in the river that used to be a street, at every other house women were mopping floors and dragging waterlogged carpets and mattresses outside.In a small supermarket in Narraville, buckets were strategically placed to catch water dripping through the ceiling, while three men tried to patch up the roof.Where roads were closed, municipal workers were pumping water from the streets into sewage pipes.Overwhelmed by phone calls, the Walvis Bay Municipality released a press statement appealing to residents to be patient.The Department of Water, Waste and Environmental Management is attending to the sewage network and excess water will be drained as soon as possible, the statement reads.In Swakopmund, most homes and businesses were unaffected.Unpaved salt roads were transformed into mud pits after the first downpours and wet, slippery road surfaces made driving and cycling very risky.At the DRC informal settlement and surrounding townships, shacks and their contents were completely soaked and attempts to salvage mattresses and furniture seemed futile.Luederitz Town Engineer Arnold Koeoman said yesterday that the extent of the damage could only be determined once an assessment report was finished – a task that he is to start working on today.The assessment, as well as repairing the flood damage, has been stalled by fears of more rain on the way, as forecast by the weather bureau.”But we’ve only received a few drops more,” he said yesterday.During the last week, the town council has been predominantly busy with relocating residents and securing their properties, while work on council infrastructure is to start this week.Among the areas affected by the floods are the Build Together Project, the Spokiesdorp township and the Number Seven area at the entrance to the town.Residents from these areas have been relocated to the Benguela Town Hall, while residents from the informal settlements have been moved to higher-lying areas.According to Koeoman, many of the town’s gravel roads have been washed away, while damage to the industrial road is estimated at between N$200 000 and N$250 000.”We’ve already received a number of quotes from stakeholders,” he said when asked whether anyone has come forward to help the town.”But we’ll have to look at a price that will be reasonable.”He also noted that Namdeb had been instrumental in helping with the evacuation and relocation of residents.”The machinery we have as council is too little, we really need the help of others,” he said, urging contractors and other institutions to help.The council has been pumping out all stagnant rainwater since last week to prevent unhygienic conditions.In a statement issued late last week, the Luederitz town council called on “all patriotic Namibians within and outside of town to render humanitarian support to affected residents and (to assist) council in rehabilitating its infrastructure.”Between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, large pans of water in low-lying desert plains created a rare scene at the feet of the Namib dunes.Yesterday afternoon, the weather bureau could not confirm any rainfall figures for the area over the last week, except for 13,8 millimetres measured at Rooikop Airport on Friday.Some residents of Walvis Bay measured between 17 and 25 millimetres from Wednesday to Friday and in Swakopmund between 12 and 18 millimetres were recorded for the same period.In Henties Bay, five millimetres were measured on Wednesday and three millimetres on Thursday.Sunny weather returned to the coast on Saturday.The weather bureau at Hosea Kutako airport has forecast that the central coast will enjoy fine and mild to warm weather for the next few days.