Cape Town - As the death toll in Madagascar from tropical Cyclone Freddy continues to rise, the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre has been requested by the National Disaster Management Centre to lead a combined South African team to support rescue efforts in severely affected areas.
Freddy made landfall in south-eastern Madagascar late on Tuesday, leading to flooding and wind gusts of up to 180km/h per hour (110 miles per hour).
Its arrival came nearly a month after storm Cheneso killed 33 people and forced thousands from their homes in Madagascar.
The death toll in Madagascar rose to four, the government said on Wednesday night, as the storm moved west across the island nation toward mainland Africa.
The Provincial Disaster Management Centre under the Limpopo Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA) has also developed a provincial contingency plan that would provide “guidance on the dispersing of resources and the activation of these resources and of key stakeholders accurately and efficiently”.
Mozambique, Zimbabwe and parts of South Africa are bracing for Freddy, expected to make landfall in the vicinity of Beira on the Mozambique coastline this weekend.
Current predictions are for extreme downpours and damaging winds in Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe.
In South Africa, the lowveld and escarpment areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga could potentially be at risk, especially considering the recent heavy rains and flooding these regions have already been subjected to.
Western Cape Disaster Management Centre head Colin Deiner will lead the combined effort to ensure that the various rescue teams are co-ordinated and on standby for deployment, local authorities said.
“A team of 40 rescue workers are currently ready to deploy at short notice.
“The team is represented by the Western Cape and Gauteng Disaster Management Centres, Gift of the Givers Rescue Team, Rescue South Africa, SARZA Rough Terrain Specialists and the National Sea Rescue Institute.
“The team will be supported by approximately 20 off-road rescue vehicles and several rescue boats.
“They will also be equipped with water and rope rescue equipment, heavy lifting and cutting equipment, mobile command posts and technical search equipment. The team will be self-sufficient and will be equipped to deal with water rescue operations as well as search and rescue of missing persons,” Deiner said.
Meanwhile, Limpopo CoGHSTA said the cyclone may affect two districts in their province, namely Vhembe and Mopani districts, on February 25 and 26.
“The department has ensured that both District Disaster Management Centres hold their Joint Operations Committee meetings to guarantee their level of alertness and readiness is satisfactory,” said CoGHSTA spokesperson Hitekani Magwedze
CoGHSTA MEC Basikopo Makamu appealed to residents, especially those living near rivers and streams, “not to interact with these pools of water in any way as the province has been experiencing continuous rainfall and they have become unpredictably dangerous”.
“We are also aware that some of our people feel obliged to use these pools of water for religious reasons, but considering the clear fatal dangers at hand, we encourage you to postpone these activities,” said the MEC.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
Cape Times