Grandmother tied herself, granddaughter to gate

“HORRENDOUS. It was just horrendous”.

This is how Ali Slade (56) described her ordeal shortly after being rescued from her waterlogged house in Windhoek’s Acacia area, together with her six-year-old granddaughter, Shani. After noticing that the water that had made its way into her house was rising fast, Slade decided it was best to take her granddaughter and escape to a safe place.The two got into their car and started to reverse out of the garage.But before the car was out of the garage, Slade remembered that her two dogs were still inside the waterlogged house.The two went back into the house to fetch them.However, the water level in the house had risen so much it was impossible for grandma Slade and her granddaughter to leave.She called her daughter Rachel Rabe on her cellphone for help.Little Shani became nervous and was getting hysterical.Realising the danger that they were in, Slade took a rope from the garage and tied herself and her granddaughter to a security gate on the front door of the house as a precaution against being washed away.By this time she had lost her cellphone and had no communication with people outside her flooded house.Young Shani’s parents drove to Acacia but could not reach the house where their daughter and her grandmother were trapped – the bridge, which provides the only access to Acacia, was completely flooded.HUMAN CHAINGrandma Slade was able to get hold of a flashlight which she waved frantically.Fortunately some neighbours saw the SOS message and immediately launched a rescue operation.The residents tied a long rope around an electricity pole and formed a human chain to reach the two.Slade and her granddaughter and the two dogs all escaped the ordeal unharmed.Two blocks away from Slade residence, four adults and a baby were caught up in a similar situation.The Adams family and two visitors were inside the house when suddenly they noticed water was collecting in the house.”When we saw a white Combi come floating past, we thought it was the end for us and that we would all end up in the Goreangab Dam,” said Samantha Adams, holding her baby Aiden.But neighbours again quickly assembled a rescue team.Using rope they formed a human chain and were able to take the family to high ground.Maryna van Rooyen, who was visiting the Adams family from Swakopmund, related how the nightmare started.”I had just arrived and wanted to take a nice hot bath when I noticed that the white tiles in the sitting room were turning brown.It was a matter of minutes and the whole house was flooded,” she said.FROZEN CASHRonnie Adams threw a handbag containing all their cash and documents into the freezer.Asked why he chose the freezer for “safe-keeping”, Adams said: “Do you really think a deep freeze can wash away? I just figured that it would be the safest place in this whole madness”.The Adams family, like others affected by the flooding in Acacia, had to guard their belongings from thieves who arrived at the scene to take advantage of the flood chaos.Some flooded houses were said to have been looted on Friday night.Despite concerns of possible loss of human life, only two puppies were known to have died in the Acacia flood.After noticing that the water that had made its way into her house was rising fast, Slade decided it was best to take her granddaughter and escape to a safe place. The two got into their car and started to reverse out of the garage. But before the car was out of the garage, Slade remembered that her two dogs were still inside the waterlogged house. The two went back into the house to fetch them. However, the water level in the house had risen so much it was impossible for grandma Slade and her granddaughter to leave. She called her daughter Rachel Rabe on her cellphone for help. Little Shani became nervous and was getting hysterical. Realising the danger that they were in, Slade took a rope from the garage and tied herself and her granddaughter to a security gate on the front door of the house as a precaution against being washed away. By this time she had lost her cellphone and had no communication with people outside her flooded house. Young Shani’s parents drove to Acacia but could not reach the house where their daughter and her grandmother were trapped – the bridge, which provides the only access to Acacia, was completely flooded. HUMAN CHAIN Grandma Slade was able to get hold of a flashlight which she waved frantically. Fortunately some neighbours saw the SOS message and immediately launched a rescue operation. The residents tied a long rope around an electricity pole and formed a human chain to reach the two. Slade and her granddaughter and the two dogs all escaped the ordeal unharmed. Two blocks away from Slade residence, four adults and a baby were caught up in a similar situation. The Adams family and two visitors were inside the house when suddenly they noticed water was collecting in the house. “When we saw a white Combi come floating past, we thought it was the end for us and that we would all end up in the Goreangab Dam,” said Samantha Adams, holding her baby Aiden. But neighbours again quickly assembled a rescue team. Using rope they formed a human chain and were able to take the family to high ground. Maryna van Rooyen, who was visiting the Adams family from Swakopmund, related how the nightmare started. “I had just arrived and wanted to take a nice hot bath when I noticed that the white tiles in the sitting room were turning brown. It was a matter of minutes and the whole house was flooded,” she said. FROZEN CASH Ronnie Adams threw a handbag containing all their cash and documents into the freezer. Asked why he chose the freezer for “safe-keeping”, Adams said: “Do you really think a deep freeze can wash away? I just figured that it would be the safest place in this whole madness”. The Adams family, like others affected by the flooding in Acacia, had to guard their belongings from thieves who arrived at the scene to take advantage of the flood chaos. Some flooded houses were said to have been looted on Friday night. Despite concerns of possible loss of human life, only two puppies were known to have died in the Acacia flood.