As floods continues to damage houses situated near flooded river banks, residents of Orkney outside Klerksdorp who live near the banks of the Vaal Dam were given an hour to evacuate their houses on Monday after the Department of Water and Sanitation was forced to open up 12 sluice gates to relieve pressure on the dam.
Some of residents ignored the warning and reacted only after water levels had began to rise rapidly in their homes forcing many to get up and alert their neighbours while others were woken up by their bleeping cellphones.
According to the residents, this was not just about the short notice the timing was also bad and upsetting for many because the Department of Water and Sanitation notified them on Sunday that is was opening sluice gates.
According to the residents this has been the heaviest flooding since 1974 which was followed by a minor one in 2010. Eva Van der Berg, whose children and grandchildren were asleep when the news broke that everyone had to leave in 60 minutes, was the most affected.
“It was very quick because my daughter started packing a few things about half-an-hour after realising water was already in before she could even wrap up, the water was high, and she had to flee with the children, She now has nothing, including no clothing or bedding, but happily everyone is okay,” she said.
A second resident, Johan Cloete, said he moved his car and monitored the water level immediately after receiving the alert on Sunday. “We measured the water as it was coming and found that it rose every four hours. That was 1.5 meters at 6 o’clock and much above at 8 o’clock,” he said.
When Marias van Wyk and his wife returned to pick up what they had left behind, he told Newsnote that everything was soaked.
The Matlosana Local Municipality, under which Orkney falls, evacuated 25 families and monitored the situation.
