Rain hammers Windhoek

TWO hours of heavy thundershowers drenched the city of Windhoek yesterday, rendering a number of roads inaccessible as rivers and storm-water drains flooded neighbourhoods.

At approximately 13h00 a thick curtain of rain fell over a large part of Windhoek, damaging houses, flooding rivers and causing sheets of water to cascade from bridges and buildings.The Windhoek Observatory, located on the hill behind the Windhoek High School, said that they recorded 28,8 mm of rain during the two hours. In Rocky Crest, 30 mm fell within half an hour. Vulnerable areas in Rocky Crest experienced heavy rains that apparently caused property damage. Boundary walls at two houses collapsed and one property was partially flooded.Rain figures for other parts of Windhoek were not available by late afternoon. Traffic came to a standstill in Fidel Castro Street, which was partially submerged in water, adjacent to Wernhil and Fruit and Veg City.One witness recounted seeing water suddenly rushing down the Klein Windhoek River located on Nelson Mandela Avenue, opposite Joe’s Beerhouse and the MultiChoice head office. The river was still flowing strongly at 15h30 yesterday.