Cost of W Cape fires exceeds R150 million: Authorities
Disaster risk authorities in the Western Cape say the damage caused by the recent natural disasters in the province is estimated at over R150 million.
his has emerged from a briefing on the status of the fires that devastated Knysna and other Garden Route areas last week, and clean-up operations after the devastating storm in the Cape Peninsula just days earlier.
The Department of Local Government has briefed the portfolio Standing Committee in the Western Cape legislature.
Provincial Local Government Minister, Anton Bredell says valuable lessons in disaster management have been learnt from this experience.
“Going forward in disaster management, we always plan for the worst. We need to. This will definitely not be the last disaster. Normally, we look at water and rain, but there’s also other kinds of disasters that can hit us. We need, as a government, to be prepared. We need to see to it that our management and emergency services get the best possible equipment to do their jobs. As well as to get the best possible training for them.”
The Standing Committee on Local Government in the Western Cape legislature has applauded the quick response by disaster management teams and all other role players following the natural disasters that hit the province.
Chairperson of the Standing Committee, Masizole Mnqasela says, “The strength now of what has happened is that they know how to do it differently if it happens next time. There’s also an acknowledgement that a lot of skills and extended training has got to go into the space of firefighting. That is something that we have not seen in the scales that we saw it in the history of South Africa.”
“Our big concern is if we do get good rain in the next two months, people are going to start ignoring the fact that we are actually in a drought situation and that its going to take up to three years to clear up”
The Department of Local Government also briefed the Standing Committee on the current drought situation in the province.
Seasonal forecasters say normal winter rainfall is expected over the Western Cape with above normal rainfall over the south-west region.
Chief Director of Disaster Management, Fire and Rescue, Colin Deiner, says this does not mean water saving efforts should stop.
“Our big concern is if we do get good rain in the next two months, people are going to start ignoring the fact that we are actually in a drought situation and that its going to take up to three years to clear up.”
The department says plans are in place to ensure that every state hospital has a bore hole and that schools in the province have auxiliary water supplies.