Heavy rains wreak havoc

SWAKOPMUND
Jessica (Erongo) Botes
Swakopmund was on the receiving end of heavy showers on Monday.

The unexpected 40 mm of consistent precipitation that lasted for almost two hours, caught many off guard and brought along some unwanted repercussions.

Residents of the DRC informal settlement were left anguished as the rain soaked most of their valuables.

Many residents voiced their grief with Erongo.

Jacky Somseb (25), whose house was completely flooded, said she used an empty container to try to get the water out of her home but there was simply too much to deal with.

“My bed is damaged. I have lost all my documents including my CV and my grade 12 certificates. I have to start from scratch now.”

Jacky's neighbour, Fenny Ou-Khaob (38), also expressed her frustration saying that she stayed up all night attempting to block the water from coming into her home and subsequently trying to get it out.

“It is not my own place. I am renting it for N$300 per month. If it was my own place, I would have looked at renovating it. Should I do this, the owner could tell me to get out tomorrow. I would lose the money that I would have invested,” Ou-Khaob said.

She requested that erven be provided to DRC residents so that they can build their own structures that are strong enough to withstand wind and rain.

The two neighbours tried to block further rain from entering their shacks as they covered the roofs of the structures' with plastic sheeting.

Ezara Uaseapuani said he initially tried to keep his shack interior and belongings dry but eventually abandoned efforts and sought refuge in his mother's house.

“The last time it rained so hard was about four years ago and we really did not expect it to happen. I used buckets but the water came too quickly. The power also kept tripping due to exposed wiring that got wet. I took off from work on Tuesday and spent the day replacing the roof and damaged walls of the structure in which I reside.”

On Tuesday long queues were ­observed at local building and hardware stores where shack owners purchased material to reinforce their structures.

The rain also caused substantial damage to the town's infrastructure. Water flowed through the streets, damaging pavements and causing traffic congestion as it flooded the streets. The roofs of some houses in town were also damaged.

Weather forecasts for the coast indicate conditions will normalise this weekend with almost no chance of rain.