All technical and operational departments of George Municipality remain on full activation following the severe weather events experienced across George and surrounding areas from Wednesday, 6 May to present.
Civil Engineering Services has mobilised internal teams together with ad hoc emergency contractors to respond to water outages caused by burst pipelines following fallen trees, as well as major repair work required on the Western Bypass 1000mm pipeline and other infrastructure damaged or washed away during the recent storm period, which included severe flooding last week and extreme winds this week.
The Municipality also received generous donations of gunplast sheeting from members of the public and several contractors to assist affected communities, for which we are sincerely appreciative. Special thanks are extended to WJ Civils, Entsha Henra, Babcon, Urhwebo Transand, Phambili Civils and Coastal Armature for their support during this difficult period.
The Community Services Directorate mobilised Parks and Recreation teams to assist with the clearing of fallen trees in collaboration with George Fire and Disaster Services, who responded to numerous emergency incidents throughout the storm period. Additional assistance was provided by Darryl Sauer of Gwaing Trading, who assisted with tree removal operations in Heatherlands. External service providers have also been called in to assist with the large-scale task of clearing roads and public spaces across George and surrounding areas. A significant number of reservists and neighbourhood watch members continue to assist within their respective communities with the removal of fallen trees and support operations.
Humanitarian organisations and community groups, together with Municipal Social Development, also played a valuable role in supporting residents affected by the storms. Love George, Gift of the Givers, as well as various George businesses and individuals, graciously assisted with donations and the supply of essential items to residents severely affected by the flooding and high winds experienced during the past week.
Electrical Engineering Services mobilised both High Voltage and Low Voltage internal teams, together with available service providers, to respond to the large number of electricity-related complaints and outages experienced since Monday. There is still a high volume of power outages being attended to, and we extend our appreciation to the public for their patience and understanding as municipal officials and emergency teams continue working under difficult conditions to restore services as quickly and safely as possible.
Traffic Services, Law Enforcement and Anti-Land Invasion officials were also fully mobilised to monitor road conditions, assess flooding impacts and assist where required. Refuse collection staff and EPWP workers who were unable to continue with normal duties due to weather conditions were redeployed to emergency response operations as directed by the George Disaster Joint Operations Centre (JOC).
The George Disaster JOC continues to monitor the overall situation across George and surrounding areas, including Uniondale, Haarlem and Noll.
George Municipality would like to sincerely thank all of our officials, and every organisation, business, volunteer group, reservist, neighbourhood watch member and individual who stepped forward to assist during this difficult period. The collective support received from across the community has played a significant role in helping restore services, assist affected residents and improve safety conditions as quickly as possible.
